The Beginning of the End
by Meri Umeko
Summary: Sequel to "Good Things Aren't Meant to Last." Four years have passed since Itachi died, and Elva decides it's time for a change. Rated T for language and content later on. PLEASE REVIEW!
1. Attempted Departure

**Disclaimer:**

**I do not own **_**Naruto**_**. It was created by and belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

_The only time I ever feel safe is when I'm alone._

_I don't know why I'm like that, but I've been like it for years. I think my real problem isn't that I like being alone, even though that's true, but that I don't trust anyone. I have trust issues, big time. But I guess that's just part of my charm._

Elva set her pen down tentatively, tracing over the words she had just jotted down on the spur of the moment. She had finally made a choice, after all these years. At last she had her decision, but there was one problem. Telling Kisame.

Naturally, no one else would care. No one ever did. When Pein asked Elva what was new, there was only one answer he was looking for, and he never got it. Apparently, due to Elva being only half Uchiha, she would never be able to activate the Sharingan, something that she assumed would have disappointed her father, were he still alive. It wasn't definite that it wasn't possible for her, but Elva had no expectations.

_Right. I'm useless, too. So you won't need me, _Elva quickly added without another thought, biting her bottom lip. She knew she should be writing this with more care, as Kisame could draw conclusions and freak before finishing the letter, but she honestly couldn't give a shit.

At this passing thought, Elva's lips twitched upward in a smile. Sure, when she had been younger, she swore on the rare occasion when she had been genuinely upset or stressed out. She used them more casually now, in passing, and she knew it made Kisame angry. Maybe that's why she did it.

_You know you don't want me around anymore, so it would be nice for you to admit it for once before I leave._

Elva felt her heart skip a beat in a sudden rush of excitement as her pen stopped abruptly at the end of the sentence. Her smile brightened for a brief moment, before it was stripped off her face as she realized all of the work ahead of her. She didn't have much more to say to Kisame – she didn't know how to tell him that she was going back to Konoha, so most of her letter was either her random thoughts, like many of her most recent ones, or sentences that made her sound like she wasn't leaving, only killing herself.

_Don't try to stop me. Don't follow me. Please, just leave me alone. _Once again, Elva's pen stopped, but only because she was thinking of a way to end the letter this time. After a brief moment of thought, she penned, _I'm going to be in enough trouble as is. I don't need to be worrying about you finding me for the rest of my life. Fondly, Elva, _and dropped her pen to the side of the paper.

"That should do it," Elva murmured under her breath in a sad attempt to convince herself that Kisame would actually listen to the letter and forget about her. She folded the letter, scribbled Kisame's name on one blank side, and dropped it face-up on her bed. Grabbing hold of her old yellow duffel bag, she set it on her bed and went for her closet, taking as many of her clothes as she could find and forcing them into the bag. Once she had packed a reasonable number of clothes, she only needed one more thing.

Her journal. After four long years, she still patiently took time out of every day to write down new events and random conversations. Things she wanted to remember, all for different reasons. Just holding it was a comfort for her. In it was every memory, every dream, everything having to do with her father, Itachi Uchiha. After Elva had gotten it packed, she slung her bag over her shoulder and headed out the door.

Elva was quick to slip through the hallways of the hideout and into the fresh air. Once outside, she hurried over to a large portion of old boulder that used to rest in front of the Akatsuki hideout. Luckily, none of the members had ever cared about cleaning up, so Elva used it to hide things. To be more exact, one thing.

"_What's that?" _

_Kisame flinched at Elva's tone. Of course, it wasn't different from what it ever was. Dry, sarcastic. Uncaring. It made him angry, and Elva knew that. She just didn't care. "Don't be an idiot," Kisame snapped, letting his anger get the better of him for a moment. He paused, then sighed, closing his eyes. "...It's a bicycle, Elva. I thought that would be obvious."_

_Elva remained silent for a heavy moment, eyes narrowing from a force of habit. "...obviously," she muttered, rolling her eyes. "But why?" She eyes the bike with distaste, with it's handlebars with ribbons and pink pedals and seat. "...is this your way of coming out of the closet, Kisame?"_

_Kisame glared at her hard, forcing down a response. Instead, he said, "No. It's for you." Before Elva could say something else, he cut her off, "You do nothing. All of the time. You need to get outside – get some fresh air. Go out on a bike ride," he suggested, gesturing to the pink bicycle. _

_Elva raised an eyebrow. "But..._why_?" she insisted, genuinely confused for once. "My birthday was seven months ago. You already got me a present."_

"_No," Kisame continued, sighing. "Elva, you don't get it. You wouldn't." Elva's eyes narrowed again, but Kisame wouldn't let her talk. "Don't." Pausing again, he sighed, then blurted out, "You're _depressed_, Elva. How can you not see that?"_

_Elva was taken aback, flinching at the heavy emphasis Kisame had put on "depressed." She opened her mouth, then shut it, then opened it again. "I-I'm not—"_

"_Don't start that, Elva," Kisame warned. "I'm not an idiot. You think I am? I'm not as unobservant as you apparently think I am. I never see you sleep. You skip meals constantly. You hardly ever talk, except to me, and only on rare occasions, like now. I haven't seen you smile in over three-and-a-half-fucking-years. Do you realize how long that is? Do you realize that it has been almost four years since—"_

"_Stop it!" Elva shouted angrily, jumping to her feet. "I'm _not_ depressed," she insisted, backing away from Kisame. "And...I don't need some weird kind of twisted...bike...therapy, either! It's not going to help, Kisame. Nothing can. _My father is dead_, and there's nothing you can _fucking_ do about it."_

_The two stared at each other for what seemed like forever, until Kisame turned for the door. "Fine," he muttered. "Ride the damn bicycle or I'm sending you _home_."_

At the time the thought of returning to Konoha scared Elva more than anything. Of course she rode the "damn" bicycle, and surprisingly, it helped. It really gave her something to do, but Elva pretended it helped when she was around Kisame. Luckily for her, it slowly became easier and easier to feel normal, and now she was fine most of the time. There were still times, though, when she would sink into a depression again, sometimes for days at a time.

Shaking the memory from her head, Elva quickly wheeled out the year-old pink bicycle and jumped on, starting off immediately. She had to get as much distance between her and the remaining members of Akatsuki as soon as possible. Picturing Kisame following her if she lingered too long, Elva pedaled quicker, until she couldn't see the red arch anymore.

* * *

Once Elva couldn't recognize where she was, she slowed down, but she was still listening carefully in case someone was following her. She had lost track of time – she was sure she had been biking for a steady hour or so, but she couldn't be sure. One thing was for sure. She had never biked this far or for this long before, and her legs were already screaming out in protest.

Giving in, Elva dropped her feet from the pedals to the ground, skidding to a stop. She had begun to stand up when her legs gave out, sending her falling to the ground. For a moment she grimaced, rubbing her legs, but then she stopped. Realizing how stupid she must have looked falling to the ground, she started laughing, of all things.

It was relieving, laughing at such a random thing. Before Elva knew what was happening, she was laughing at herself laughing, doubled over in laughter. Within a few minutes, she was clutching her side in pain, even though she loved it. It was, oddly enough, the most fun she'd had in a long time. Running away sure put a lot of adrenaline into someone's system.

Suddenly, though, Elva froze. _What the hell _was_ that?_ she wondered to herself, listening carefully. She could have sworn she heard something. A rush in the leaves next to her. She was just about to assume that whatever she had heard she had made up herself when the sound came again, only this time directly behind her. Someone had found her.

Sighing, she let the duffel bag drop off her shoulder, and she stood up. "Look, I'm sorry, Kisame," she muttered, rolling her eyes, as she turned around. "I have a right to go, though. I'm almost sixte—" She stopped, hate suddenly pulsing throughout her body. "You're not Kisame," she growled.

Anyone could detect the sudden change in Elva's attitude, but Sasuke pretended he hadn't. "You don't like me, do you?" he asked casually, folding his arms across his chest. He almost looked amused, but Elva knew he had about as much emotional capacity as Elva had when she found out Itachi had been killed. By _him_. There were only two options for him: calm and anger.

Just looking at Sasuke made Elva want to kill him. Not that she could, of course, but she wanted to try at the very least. She almost did at that moment, but something held her back. Instead, she forced to tone down her anger a notch, asking, "What the hell are you doing out here?" She resisted the urge to cringe when the swear slipped out.

Sasuke didn't notice, or pretended not to. "I'm protecting the border into Akatsuki, as always," he answered, frowning. "What are _you_ doing way out here?" He glanced down at the yellow bag, then back at Elva, smirking. "Running away?" he sneered.

Elva pushed down the intense urge to hurt him. _He's mocking me,_ she realized suddenly, flushing. "What would you do if I was?" she demanded, still glaring at her uncle.

Sasuke was silent for a moment, then glanced over his shoulder, as if he were listening for something. Then he shrugged, bent down to take hold of Elva's duffle, and handed it to her. "Good riddance," he muttered, setting her bike upright. He waited for her to get the bag over her shoulder, then rolled the bike to her. "You're just a hassle."

Elva took the handlebars roughly, scoffing at Sasuke's response. "_I'm_ the hassle? I'm surprised Akatsuki let you _tag along_, with you having...you know...killed one of their best members." She smirked suddenly. "Akatsuki doesn't need you. They're just pretending that they need you so they don't have to worry about you going after somebody else." She glanced to the side, muttering, "Not that you wouldn't do that, anyway."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, narrowing his eyes. "You are..." He trailed off, and for a split second Elva worried that she had gone too far, when he said, "..._exceedingly _childish." When Elva stared at him in unexpected surprise, Sasuke frowned. "What, you actually thought I saw you as _mature_? Please. Be realistic."

Elva was about to come up with another response, when she rolled her eyes. _No matter what I say, he'll use it against me,_ she muttered to herself ruefully. _I swear, one day I'm going to fucking _kill _him!_

"Is that a threat or a promise?" Sasuke suddenly asked, jerking Elva out of her thoughts. She was silent for a moment, confused by his outburst, when a look of dread spread across her face. Sasuke sighed, answering her unasked question. "Yes, you were talking out loud."

Elva glared at him for a heavy moment, squeezing the handlebars of the bike as tightly as she could without breaking her hand. She wanted so badly to do something to him, to break his nose, to kick him between the legs, to do _something_! Instead, she frowned, feigning interest as Sasuke looked over his shoulder again. "Do you hear something?"

"What, no rude comment?" Sasuke muttered sarcastically, before looking at Elva. "Did you really think you'd get far without that blue freak realizing you'd left? Really, Elva, he's obsessed with you," he said, watching her as if he actually wanted a response to that.

"...Kisame?" Elva asked in disbelief, not really needing the confirmation from Sasuke. "I thought he'd be asleep." _Apparently not_, she answered herself. "Okay, well...when is he going to be here?" As if to answer her question, she heard a sudden rustling in the trees, not too far off. She swore under her breath, jumping on the bicycle and starting off as fast as she could. "Stall for me, _please_!" she shouted over her shoulder at Sasuke.

She didn't get an answer.

**Author's Note:**

_**Valbino**_ Aw, thanks! I love you, too, along with everyone else! But sorry for making you feel like crying. It was hard writing a chapter with Itachi...well...being dead in it and all. Thank you so much for reading my first-ever story...even though it was written and re-written many, many times. I'm finished now, I swear!

_**The Commander **_ Yeah, while I was writing this I couldn't stop myself from thinking, "Wow, I'm really horrible to Elva, aren't I?" I mean...I feel so bad for her! But thanks for reading this, and hopefully, since you seemed interested in there being a sequel, you'll read that too?? Haha, yeah, I'm just a little desperate for readers...

_**Sasori-Chibi **_Sorry for making you cry!! I'm a baby, so I was tearing up while I wrote this, but sorry for making you cry. Thanks a bunch for reading this fanfic – it really means a lot to me that you took the time!

_**AliKatNyah **_Thanks! I really appreciated your comments. I wish I could bring Itachi back to life, but I can't...he was one of my favorite characters in the show (if I haven't already mentioned that in an Author's Note, lol, which I probably have). Anyway, thank you so much for reading my story!

_**JenKonoha **_Haha, thanks, it's good to be back. Although, I must ask...did you mean "welcome back" as in "welcome-back-it's-been-a-long-time-since-there's-been-a-new-chapter" or "welcome-back-your-story's-good-again?" ...or some other way? I was just confused, lol. But thanks so terribly much for reading this!

**Just so y'all know, I'm going to post an extra chapter in **_**Good Things Aren't Meant to Last **_**just saying that this story is out, a link to it, it's name, etc. ...actually, right now I'm writing this A/N before I've started the first chapter...so I really have no idea how the first chapter's going to go...nor do I know what the new story is going to be named. Haha. This'll be interesting.**

**...I have no idea why I brought Sasuke into this already. But...eh...did you hate it? Just say so if you did, PLEASE. Also...if you don't get why Sasuke's kinda...working for Akatsuki, I hope it makes sense. I mean...it's in the manga, in the second-to-most-recent chapter. They were wearing Akatsuki robes...so I kinda assumed...yeah.**

**Wondering why the ending chapter of GTAMTL and the title of this story are the same? Well...I just thought it'd be cool to have them be the same. Plus, I couldn't think of another name, so...yeah. LEAVE MEH ALONE.**

**Anyways, PLEASE REVIEW!**

**Remember, I love you all!!**

**-Meri Umeko-**


	2. Deals and Negotiations

**Disclaimer:**

**I do not own **_**Naruto.**_** It was created by and belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

"I hate you," Elva mumbled under her breath, unable to come up with a better response. Kisame stopped pacing around the room, glaring down at Elva with so much intensity she couldn't help but flinch.

"That's all you have to say to me?" he demanded quietly. "I wake up and find a note—" He held it up in one hand, crumpling it accidentally in his rage. "—that says 'Don't try to stop me. Don't follow me. Please, just _ leave me alone_?!'" Kisame was shaking with anger now. If he had a normal complexion his face would be beat red right now; instead, it was a deep purple. "And then, when I finally finish the letter, how did you leave it? '_Fondly_.' Really, Elva? How big an idiot do you think I am?"

"Not _that_ big," Elva answered sheepishly, fiddling with her hands in her lap. "If you would just let me answer—"

"To say what?" Kisame cut in. "To say 'I'm sorry, Kisame, please forgive me,' and then try this nonsense again tomorrow? If you knew how worried I've been for you lately, Elva, you'd understand why I'm so angry."

Elva was silent for a moment, registering his words before they dawned upon her. She looked at Kisame darkly, hatred flaring through her system. "You were worried _for me_?" she hissed, standing up. Her fists were clenched so hard together she knew she had already drawn blood.

"Who do you think you are?" she continued, glaring at Kisame, "If I could, I'd kill you, but I'm smart enough to realize I can't. You, on the other hand, don't stop to think if you should rephrase what you're about to say and instead say 'worried _about_ you.' Saying you're worried _for_ me is completely different. If you were trying not hurt me by saying that, I'm actually glad to tell you you're wrong."

Kisame stared at Elva, confusion clouding his features. Elva scoffed, rolling her eyes, before continuing talking. "You want to know _why_ it was wrong to say that?" she demanded, her voice barely above a whisper. "Saying you're worried _for_ someone is something a parent would say."

As Kisame suddenly understood what Elva was saying, she could tell he regretted it immediately, and would try to take it back. But she didn't care. Just as Kisame stepped forward like he was going to hug Elva, she backed away until she was by her door, gripping the handle. "You are _not_ my father," she shot at Kisame before slamming the door behind her.

* * *

"Elva."

Elva shut her journal with a loud bang, glaring at the door with as much intensity as she could muster with her swollen eyes. "Go away, Kisa—" She stopped in mid-sentence, listening to the voice again in her mind. There was a moment of silence, and then Elva quietly said, "Come in."

Sasuke opened the door, shutting it behind him. He stared at Elva for less than a second before frowning. "Why have you been crying?" Realizing what she must look like, Elva hastened to wipe her eyes, embarrassed. Sasuke didn't seem to care, walking closer to the bed Elva was sitting on. "I have an idea."

When Elva was silent, confused, Sasuke went ahead and explained. "I can get you to Konoha," he told her simply. "I spoke with Kisame. I don't have any idea why he trusts me, but he gave me permission." He scoffed shortly. "As if I needed it." He looked at Elva. "So do you want to go to Konoha or not?"

Two questions came to Elva's mind. "How did you know I was going to Konoha?" Elva asked, frowning. "I never told you. Or anyone, I don't think."

"Psychic," Sasuke informed her, pointing to his head. Elva stared at Sasuke, wide-eyed, before his eyes narrowed. "That was a joke," he told her, as if she should have gotten it immediately. He cleared his throat, gesturing to Elva's duffel on the floor. "It was easy. Your Konohagakure headband was sticking out of the front pocket."

It was. Elva cringed, mentally yelling at her horrible packing skills. "Okay." She let him have that. "But…why are you being so nice to me? Or more so, why did you volunteer?" She frowned, making a face. "And why would Kisame let you?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Surveillance purposes," he replied. "And it's none of your business why I volunteered." Elva opened her mouth to retort, but he held up a finger. "If you want to come – which I think you do – I have some rules you'll have to follow."

Ignoring his gesture not to interrupt, Elva interrupted anyway. "Excuse me, but I think it _is_ my business if I'm going to be spending the next few days with you," she reasoned, a hint of annoyance creeping into her voice.

Sasuke pretended as if he hadn't heard her, going on. "As I was saying, you'll have to follow whatever rules I lay down. For example, you cannot wander around on your own. There are no exceptions, Elva, even though I know you'll want to break that rule. I have to be with you all the time. Also, once you get to Konoha you'll have to leave the village once a week to meet me at a designated area to, basically, tell me everything new that's happened since the last time we spoke."

"I'm not going to tell you every detail of my personal life!" Elva exclaimed, jumping to her feet. "That's an invasion of privacy! That's—" She stopped for a moment, then sighed. "That was one of Kisame's ideas, wasn't it?" _Of course,_ she told herself silently.

"Was it that obvious?" Sasuke asked wryly. "Really, all rules will be followed if you can listen to this one thing." He went silent, waiting for Elva to be looking at him, waiting for him to say it. "Do whatever I say."

As much as Elva wanted to make a sarcastic remark to that, she just nodded and asked, "When do we leave?"

* * *

_Four hours,_ Elva counted in her head, astounded. _Four fucking hours and not even a grunt! What's wrong with this guy? _She tossed a glare impulsively at Sasuke and shoved her hands in her pockets. _We should at the very least be talking. Sure, I don't like him, and I guess he's not that fond of me either, but it's driving me nuts not talking! _

Elva paused in thought for a moment. _I could say something casual, like, "The weather's great, isn't it?" But I hate small talk. I'm smart enough to realize he probably does, too. …I could try to strike up some deep conversation and pretend to be smart, but he'd know I was pushing it._ She looked at Sasuke, frowning slightly. _I should say something, though. I definitely should say something._

"The weather's nice, don't you think?" Sasuke asked suddenly, his voice soft and almost embarrassed. Elva stared at him in disbelief, gaping. He immediately took on an annoyed expression. "What are you, deaf?" he asked, eyes narrowed.

"No," Elva snapped, looking pointedly at the ground. There was an awkward silence, and then she looked back up at Sasuke, who she now saw was also staring at the ground. "…it's just that I was thinking of saying the same thing."

Sasuke looked at her for a moment, not quite knowing what to say, then looked at ahead at the path, laughing. "No offense, but that's pretty pathetic, Elva," he murmured, sounding sincere. He was acting _normal_, Elva suddenly realized.

She smiled, shrugging. "I know," she admitted, laughing herself. "I hate small talk, honestly. I just couldn't think of anything else to say." She glanced over her shoulder at the path behind her, falling silent for a brief moment before asking, "So how long do you think it'll take for us to get there?"

Thoughtful, Sasuke paused before answering quickly. "Somewhere between several hours and a day." Elva gaped at him again, happily this time, though. "What? Did you think it was longer?"

"No, it's just…well, yeah!" she exclaimed, excited. "I mean, when I was younger, it seemed to take _so_ long!" She stopped, then laughed, embarrassed. "I mean…I used to get really, really impatient really, really fast. Like, obnoxiously so."

Sasuke stared at her for a moment, eyebrows raised, then said, "And you say 'really' _really_ many times." Elva rolled her eyes, noting the sarcasm in his voice. Then he became serious suddenly. "Now, I have a question. What are you going to tell Tsunade?"

Elva looked at him blankly. "Um…who?" she asked, feeling like an idiot.

"The Hokage. Didn't you know that?" Sasuke asked, only making her feel like more of an idiot. But she was surprised, too, and she must have looked obviously so. "…you _do_ know that Sarutobi died, don't you?"

"Of course I remember!" Elva exclaimed. "That was awful…I just never knew that they chose a new Hokage. I mean, it was obvious that they would have chosen one by now, but I just didn't know the name." She resisted the urge to cringe, unable to stop herself from remembering the Third Hokage's funeral, and how upset Konohamaru had been.

…_that's the first time I've thought about anyone from Konoha in years,_ she suddenly realized, and she smiled. "It'll be nice to see everyone again," she said aloud, sighing. "I've missed them, I guess." She paused for a second, then launched into her answer to Sasuke's original question.

"Well…I guess I'll tell Tsunade that I've been in Sunagakure due to a custody battle. The court of Suna ruled that I would live with my guardian for a period of five years as a test to see how living full-time would turn out, and then I could choose. And I chose Konoha." She shrugged. "Simple as that. And I never needed a pass to leave Konoha simply because it wasn't my choice to come to Suna, anyway."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "It's thought out, but not enough. Sorry to disappoint you," he said, obviously happy to disappoint Elva. "First off, who's this guardian you mentioned? Why wasn't the Konohagakure court notified of this?"

"…I know it's not the best idea," Elva admitted. "But I do have answers." Sasuke nodded, listening. "My guardian is Sahiro Kyou." He looked confused. "He was my brother's godfather." Even more confused now. "Oh. I'm a twin," she proudly announced. "…but Jairo kind of…wasn't alive when he was born." Then she continued, "Sahiro found out I was alive and demanded to be my godfather, too. Since his family is rich, he demanded the trial be private, even to the Konohagakure government."

She looked at Sasuke again for his approval, but none was given. "Listen closely to me, Elva," Sasuke said. "I'm only going to say this once. When you were ten years old, you were offered the chance to study abroad for five years in Kumogakure, and took the offer. You got the pass to leave Konoha from a lesser official – those are replaced every few years, so it'll be impossible to track down who it was exactly who gave it to you from over five years ago – but lost it during your time in Kumo. That's understandable. You've come back to Konoha now to continue your study with your old team."

"There's one problem with that," Elva point out. "…I'm not good at anything. Really. I can't do anything. So did all of the training go in one ear and out the other…or what?"

"You can't be _that_ bad," Sasuke reasoned, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, really?" Elva asked dryly. "Want to risk your life? Really, give me a kunai and tell me to throw it at a target." To her surprise, he did, unmoved. She sighed, picking out a tree. "There. But it won't end up there. It'll end up…somewhere…" She pointed to a spot ten trees to the left of the target and at the floor. "About there."

And she threw the kunai. She nearly had a heart attack. It hit the tree that she had been aiming for with a dull _thud_. She turned around, too stunned to speak, and looked at Sasuke. "…that's never happened before in my life," she said quietly, eyes wide.

"And I believe you," Sasuke replied, looking convinced. "I can't tell if you think it's a miracle…or a curse." He then held up another kunai. "Want to know what really happened?" Elva's eyes suddenly narrowed, and she was glaring at Sasuke. He smirked, twirling the kunai in his hand. "_This_ is your kunai. The kunai on the tree was mine. Next time, keep your eye on the kunai the whole time, please. It was too easy to trick you."

Elva glared at him, so angry she could hardly speak. When he just smirked and continued walking, she exploded. "I can't _believe_ it. I _hate_ you!" she exclaimed, hands balled into fists.

"No, you don't," Sasuke said, amused. "You just have anger issues."

* * *

"So."

Sasuke poked the fire, glancing at Elva from the corner of his eye. "Tell me about yourself," he finished, standing up and backing away from the fire, hands on his hips. He was watching Elva intently, waiting for an answer.

It was the first thing Sasuke had said in hours, so naturally it took Elva off guard. She blinked at him idiotically. "…myself? What is there to talk about?" she asked, realizing that she often felt like a dunce around Sasuke.

"Like, your childhood," he explain. He then waved his hands around mysteriously, smirking. "Your past," he then clarified. "Everyone has a juicy one."

Elva raised an eyebrow, having to laugh. "_Juicy_? You can't say that, Sasuke. You really can't," she said, still laughing.

"…and why can't I?" Sasuke asked. "I'm too serious?" He sounded like he was mocking Elva, and she immediately frowned. "No, that's not it. You just don't like me." He paused for a moment, then asked, "I'm still not related to you, am I? Or are you past that immature phase?"

"What are you talking about?" Elva asked, but remembered instantly.

"_And don't you dare say that you're my family, too, because you won't be if you do this. No family has a right to hurt one another. Sure, what my dad did was wrong, but even he can't change anything. He might regret it, but he can never take back what he did. You should be thankful that he didn't kill you. You should be thankful he didn't drive himself mad from the guilt of it all and killed himself, even. But if you're going to go ahead and find him and kill him without caring that he's your older brother, then go ahead. But don't you dare say that you're my family, because you're not."_

Elva stared at Sasuke for a heavy moment, eyes narrowed. "…why do you ask?"

"Because," he replied, shrugging, "if you're my family, I find it very rude that you call me Sasuke. If you aren't my family, then you can go ahead and call me Sasuke, and I won't find anything wrong with it. It's your choice, really."

"I'm used to not having family," she answered without thinking, her tone dark. From where Sasuke was standing, she could of sworn she saw him flinch, a look of guilt flashing across his face, but she knew better. She had imagined that.

"So how far are we from Konoha now?" she asked, changing the topic.

Sasuke shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. Two, three minutes away?" he responded casually.

Elva gasped, jumping to her feet. "Why didn't you tell me?!" she demanded, grabbing her duffel and starting away immediately. Sasuke stopped her, holding up a hand. "What now?" she whined impulsively.

"You see this area?" he asked, gesturing to the patch of forest around them. Elva nodded, confused. "Every week, starting next week, you have to meet me here. Don't bring anyone with you. Don't tell anyone what you're doing. Tell them you're training, or whatever – I don't care. But every week, starting a week from today, you need to tell me everything new about you. Understand?" Elva nodded, if somewhat reluctantly this time.

Before Elva left for Konoha, Sasuke reminded her, "Stick to your story." She nodded again, becoming impatient. As she started away, Sasuke called after her.

"Elva, _please_. You can't trust anyone."

**Author's Note:**

_**Valbino **_Lol, I'm glad you found Sasuke funny. He's not normally funny, is he? Well, I'm glad he was here. Thanks for reading.

_**The Commander**_ Thanks for reading the chapter, and for reviewing. I took your constructive criticism to heart, and if you go back to the first chapter, I rewrote part of the first chapter. I tried to make it seem less rushed. I hope it worked…and you're right, it was. It had taken me four and a half hours (no joke!) to write the first half that I was just so frustrated I sped through the second. But now it's how I wanted it to turn out.

_**Sasori-Chibi **_How's this for soon? This is one of my fastest updates in a long time, lol! Hope you liked the chappie!

_**AliKatNyah **_Thanks! You know, you and I should go to Japan and find Masashi Kishimoto, wherever he may be, and keel him for killing Itachi. Not seriously, though. Just, like…oh, I dunno, throw a whipped cream pie in his face? I've always wanted to do that.

**I love you all. And you know what that means. REVIEW. Or I shall love you no longer.**

**Haha, I'm not serious. How could I ever stop loving all of you guys?? You're all awesome for bearing with me as I wrote GTAMTL…so thanks again. I'm trying hard to make the sequel good…if not even better than GTAMTL (won't be that hard, haha, seeing as I still don't understand how you guys liked it!).**

**Guess what?? I got a YouTube channel!! I'm not going to post it here, as to not attract stalkers, but if any of you faithful reviewers (and I know who you are!) ask, I'll give the channel name to you. If a stalker PMs me, I'll gracefully decline. But really, just PM me for it if you want!**

…**yeah. Please review!!**

**-Meri Umeko-**


	3. Return to Konohagakure

**Disclaimer:**

**I do not own **_**Naruto**_**. It was created by and belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

Elva leaned against a tree, listening for anything she hoped she could use to her advantage. Somewhere ahead of the tree – Elva wasn't sure quite how far ahead they were – two shinobi were guarding the main gate into Konoha. So far they had talked about useless things, like how they were hungry and could go for some ramen right now, and how one of their children were going to graduate the Academy soon.

She shifted her weight, rolling her eyes up to the canopy above her. Through breaks in the multitude of leaves, she could see the stars, and what she assumed was the moon. She let out a silent sigh, shifting her weight once again impatiently. _I could just hop a wall somewhere. I might not be caught…and even if I was, I'm a teenager. I'm supposed to get into trouble. Any random adult in Konohagakure would just assume I was someone's troublesome child and let _them_ deal with me, rather than have to take care of me themselves._

Elva was somewhat pulled out of her thoughts when she heard the clinking of bottles. She immediately crossed her fingers, wishing with all of her heart that what they were drinking was alcoholic in some way or form. After a few long minutes had passed, and she had heard different clinks of bottles, each signaling more and more liquid being consumed, Elva thought it was safe to go out.

She pulled a piece of paper out of her paper, folded it carefully in half, and hoped for the best. She turned on her heel and, leaving the tree behind her, approached the gate. It took several seconds for the men to notice her, but when they did, they were instantly on guard. Or as on guard as they could be in their condition. Elva tried to hide a triumphant smirk.

She assumed one of them would stop her, as regulation, and check her pass. That's what the paper was for. And one did. He held up a hand, signaling for her to stop, and handed his beer bottle to the other guard. He took the paper from her, eyeing it casually. "Go on," he said in a gruff voice after less than a second of looking at her card, making Elva hide another smirk. He was tired, obviously so, and starting to get drunk. Elva had been right when she had thought they were drinking more than one bottle. She took her 'pass' back and started into the gate.

She passed by the first few buildings, as if she did this everyday, or at least sometimes. _Just keep going,_ she reminded herself. _Don't attract attention._ Now she just had to get through the town and to her old apartment building and wish for the best. At the very least she hoped it was still there, and hadn't been torn down. She hoped that her old apartment was available by some odd coincidence of fate. It would be nice to really be back home.

Elva stuffed the paper in her pocket, thinking she wouldn't need it again, and shifted her yellow duffel on her shoulder, looking back up at the sky. A breeze swept by, rustling Elva's bangs. She had made a point to refuse to cut it in the years after Itachi's death, and it had grown back out wonderfully. Normally Elva just let it down, but for traveling she had tied most of it up in a bun. She pulled out the elastic rubber band and brushed through her long black hair several times with her fingers, shaking it out. Another breeze came by suddenly, lifting Elva's hair.

She couldn't help but smiling. _This is what I missed about Konoha,_ she thought to herself in silence. _The weather. It always seemed perfect._

Before she knew it, she was at her old apartment building. Hoping it wasn't too late, she went to the front door. It was unlocked, luckily, and she went in. She was met almost instantly by another breeze, calmer this time, and she smiled again. _Whoever invented air conditioning was a genius._ There hadn't been air conditioning at Akatsuki.

There was someone behind the front desk, so Elva didn't waste time looking around. Without waiting for any recognition from the person, she went right ahead and began. "Hello, my name is Elva Umeko. I was just wondering – is Room 203 available?"

Before she had gotten halfway through the second sentence, the boy's head had shot up. He stared at Elva for a long moment, and for a split second Elva thought she was in trouble, but then a smile broke out on his face. "Elva?" he asked, gaping at her.

"U-Um…yeah?" she asked nervously, brushing a piece of hair behind her ear. _Who the hell is this?!_ she screamed mentally. _I don't know who this is…fuck! Fuck! This is just wonderful! Just _splendid. _Who is he?!_

As if he could read her mind, the boy stopped himself. "I-It's me, Elva, remember? Udon?" he clarified, still smiling. Elva suddenly returned the smile, nodding.

"Of course! Uh…" Elva still wasn't sure exactly how to react. He looked so _different._ She was slightly in awe of what five years can do to a person, but she knew she was due for a response. "Hi," she said sheepishly, unable to think of anything else to say.

"I am _so _glad I took the night shift tonight!" Udon exclaimed, but for some reason he said it in a way that made Elva think he was talking to himself, so she didn't say anything. "I can't wait to tell Konohamaru and Moegi! They'll be so excited! And…"

He suddenly stopped, looking at Elva. His expression suddenly darkened, his eyes almost glaring at Elva. "You left. Where did you go?" he demanded, frowning. "Nobody knew where you were."

Elva wanted to yell at him, the sudden change had flared her anger so much. She wished she could tell him the truth all of a sudden, and make him feel bad for being so rude all of a sudden and tell him her father was dead. But she couldn't. Instead, she shrugged, avoiding his eye contact. "U-Um…well, I was in Kumo," she said quietly, stumbling over her words. "Training…" She paused, looking up at Udon. She didn't think she had come off as very convincing, but he almost looked like he believed her.

"That's weird," he murmured, suspicion flashing across his features for less than a moment before shrugging it off. "Well, Konohamaru and Moegi will be glad, that's for sure," he then added grudgingly under his breath, like he resented having to tell them. He started shuffling through the available room keys, ignoring Elva.

Several uncomfortable minutes passed, ticking by extra slowly, until Udon produced the key to 203 – Elva grabbed it, flashing him an unconvincing smile, and darted away, relieved to be away from him. _That could have gone better,_ she muttered to herself, almost wishing he hadn't been on duty. Still, she couldn't lie to herself and say that it hadn't been nice to see him after all of these years.

She ran up the three flights of stairs necessary to get to Room 203. Unlike the other apartment buildings in Konoha, the one Elva had lived most of her life in was numbered differently. Although there were rooms on the first floor, they started at 00, and went up from there. In all other apartment complexes, the rooms on the first floor were 100, and then went up. Elva had nearly forgotten when she reached the second floor, but then remembered just as she was going to open the door and continued up one more flight.

Room 203 was right across the hall from the stairwell, just as Elva had remembered. She unlocked the door and stepped in, closing and locking it behind her. She clicked on the lights, looking around the apartment.

Itachi had taken out the peanut butter jar from the refrigerator and two slices of bread from the pantry, once again facing away from the two. Elva fidgeted uncomfortably, losing her patience as she waited for a moment when she could ask her father why he was there and what was going on. After half a minute or less, Itachi turned back around, now holding a simply peanut butter sandwich. He handed that to Elva, too, and then promptly started for the door.

"_What am I supposed to do with this?" Elva asked, making a face of disgust as she held the peanut butter sandwich. I hate peanut butter, she muttered to herself. How many times do I have to tell him that?_

"_Eat," he ordered, opening the door and holding it open expectantly. "We're going to be moving a lot today." He paused, and then raised an eyebrow as he saw Elva eyeing the sandwich with distaste. "What now?" he asked, almost in a tired tone._

_Elva rolled her eyes to the ceiling, still fighting to hold back her temper. "I hate peanut butter. I've told you that a million times," she told him, sighing in exasperation. "Don't you remember?"_

Elva smiled to herself, looking over at the small area where the refrigerator, stove, and pantry was. There was enough counter space, but it still wasn't as big as Elva had remembered it. Her attention having been brought to the kitchen, she went over, pulling open the refrigerator. No food. Opening the pantry after quickly brought Elva to realize that she needed food. She sighed, shutting both and backing away, hands on her hips.

_Buy food as soon as possible,_ she noted mentally. She paused, then opened a drawer underneath the counters. _ And silverware. And plates. And glasses._

Looking up from the kitchen area for the first time, her eyes settled on the wall. Normally she would have ignored it, but it caught her eye. Someone had painted it. Where it had used to be a normal color of subdued tan, like most of the hallways in the building, it was now dark purple.

_It wasn't that she was ugly, nor was she beautiful, or anything close to it. She was ordinary, and that even wasn't what she hated so much about herself. She was perfectly fine with her hair; it could get unmanageable and tangled sometimes, but there was nothing horrible about it. She had bangs that, for the most part, she liked, unless they became too long. It was her eyes that she hated._

_They were violet. Not a shade that could be mistaken for being blue in a different light. These were a bright and very distinct violet – a definite purple. It made Elva stand out, even in the diversity of looks at the academy, which was one thing she never wanted to do. It made her feel uncomfortable and unbelievably self-conscious. She just really hated them; there was no other word for it._

Elva immediately hated whoever had painted the walls. Her grip on the yellow duffel tightened, and she hastened to get away from the walls and into another room. She ignored the bathroom, having no use for it, and went straight into her old bedroom. She sighed with relief when she saw the walls were the same, boring color. It comforted her. Not everything had changed.

"_Elva is back home, no doubt," Itachi stated. It wasn't a question. He had just said it, like he knew that it was true. Elva gasped, immediately forgetting her anger at Kisame. She ran into the room, finding her father facing away from her and toward her bed, doing something she couldn't see._

_She flung her arms around his waist, laughing. "You're back!" she exclaimed, nearly beside herself with joy. "You're back – I can't believe you're back, sir!"_

_The silence that followed her outburst proved just how awkward what Elva had just done was. She backed away a couple of steps, hanging her head and attempting to look contrite. Itachi glanced over his shoulder, but before Elva could look up again, he had turned back around, only to continue whatever he had been doing earlier. "Don't do that again," he reprimanded sharply, causing Elva to involuntarily flinch._

Just as quickly as relief had flooded her system, a much more unwelcome feeling came rushing in. She suddenly had the strong urge to hurt herself – to purposely hit her head against the wall, to do _something_ to stop the sudden memories from coming up. She wished there were knives in the kitchen suddenly, then stopped, wide-eyed.

_I can't believe I just said that, _Elva thought, mortified. She was embarrassed, and ashamed, even though she was the only person in the room. Frustrated, she threw her duffel on the ground, letting her anger show. "I _hate_ this!" she yelled, knowing full well she was voicing her thoughts as she did so.

She could feel her eyes tearing up, but she refused to let herself cry. Forcing her anger down, she got on her knees, looking through her duffel until she had found a hairbrush, a toothbrush, toothpaste, a towel, soap, shampoo, and a change of clothes. She hurried to the bathroom, trying her best to ignore the hard lump in her throat.

She dropped the clothes and the towel on the floor, dumping the rest in the sink. She turned on the hot water for the bath, going back to the sink and picking up the hairbrush. She pulled it through her hair slowly, trying to take up as much time as she could just brushing her hair. When it started to hurt just to brush her hair, she set down the brush, instead setting herself to the task of brushing her teeth. That was over within minutes, and then it was time for the bath.

Elva set the soap and shampoo on the side of the tub, slipping off her clothes in a hurry and getting in. Like she had expected, for the first few long seconds the water was scalding hot, which did the anticipated job and forcibly made Elva forget her frustration. She held her breath, waiting for the discomfort to pass. She regretted turning the hot faucet as much as it could turn, but the damage was already done. Her skin was numbing from the pain, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

_That could've gone a lot smoother,_ she figured mentally. Ignoring the initial second burst of unbearable heat, she dunked her head underwater and came back up immediately, now soaked completely. She grabbed for the shampoo, squeezing some into her hands and throwing it to the side, now wanting to get out of the water as soon as possible. She washed her hair thoroughly, then taking the soap. She was done within a minute and a half, which definitely wasn't the soothing, cleansing bath she had been looking forward to.

Unplugging the drain, she jumped out, immediately met by a rush of cool air. Shivering, she grabbed the towel and wrapped it around herself. After a few minutes of continuous shivering, the realization suddenly dawned on Elva that she wasn't getting any warmer. Sighing, she quickly pulled on the clothes she had brought into the bathroom – an outfit that consisted of underwear, sweatpants, and an old over-sized tee-shirt. Elva wrapped her hair up in the towel turban style and left the room, switching off the light as she left.

By now she had wasted enough time, and she went into the bedroom again. For the first time, she had finally realized just how tired she really was, and now she was desperate to get to bed. Going through her duffel one last time, she took out her journal and a pen, sitting on the bed. Opening to a blank page, she copied down her mental to-do list from earlier, dropped both on the bedside table, and climbed under the covers. She was asleep even before her head hit the pillow.

**Author's Note:**

_**Valbino**_ Lol, we should totally subscribe to each other! Haha. You still find Sasuke funny? Now, I forget. Are you more of an Itachi fan or Sasuke fan? I find that hard sometimes, myself…you know, deciding between the two. Normally it's strictly Itachi…but no offense…he's kind of…dead now.

_**The Commander**_ Thank you! I appreciate that, from t3h heart. …btw, does anyone know how to make those hearts on the computer?? 'Cause whenever I try to do that, I fail miserably. Haha, a lot of my friends say I fail at life…would make sense, haha. But about Konohamaru, you're just gonna have to wait, okay??

**_Sasori-Chibi_** I try to make 'im funny. Glad you thought so, lol. Thanks.

_**AliKatNyah**_ Seriously, you find his email, TELL MEH. I'll help you. Thanks, lol. I tried to make Sasuke seem kinda awkward. It's fun, but he's not that kinda guy, you know?? It was jolly good fun, jolly good fun….lol. You must be in heaven with all of my fast updating, eh?

**Okay, okay, okay.**

**Note to self: WRITE HERE LATER!!**

**Haha, I wrote that to myself when I started this chapter. For the first time in the history of writing this fanfic and the original, I didn't want to write the Author's Note before writing the story. I dunno why, really. I'd always done that, and sometimes it had even hurt me. **

**I'm not sure what chapter of GTAMTL it had happened, but I think I gave away Itachi dying a chapter or two before he actually did, because I had actually planned on having Elva find out then and then have another chapter…but I don't think I ever deleted it.**

**I dunno why I'm taking my time getting into the plot of the story. I mean…I have to admit, there really is no plot, but look at GTAMTL. Would you say that had a plot? …if you just said yes, then I guess this has a plot, too…lol. I'm just…really awful thinking of plots. Which is why I restrict myself strictly to writing fanfictions.**

**Anyway, please review! You know how much I love all of you!!**

**-Meri Umeko-**


	4. Monster Crush

**Disclaimer:**

**I do not own **_**Naruto**_**. It was created by and belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

Elva didn't dream her first night in Konoha. She slept restfully, not once having a moment of light sleep. She was sleeping deeply throughout the night and into the morning, which would explain why she didn't hear the door to her apartment clicking open, unlocked all of a sudden.

Of all things, it wasn't the door slamming as suddenly as it had opened that began to wake her. Instead, it was the low whispers coming from outside of her door. For a few sleepy moment Elva thought she was dreaming, but she was soon mistaken, to her utter dismay.

Several things happened at once, and Elva was lucky she was able to keep up with them. The first was the door to her bedroom swinging open suddenly. Then the next thing she knew a mass of orange hair launched itself at her, nearly landing on top of her. The thing began shaking her awake. Elva shut her eyes, unwilling to wake up. It wasn't until it made a sound that Elva registered the fact that people were in the room.

"Elva!" the orange blob of hair squealed, beside itself with joy. "Elva, Elva, wake _up_! There are so many things we have to do today! I'm going to take you shopping, and we're all going to go out to lunch just now, and you have to get food – Konohamaru said he couldn't find any food in the kitchen – and…and…oh, Kami, I just can't believe you're _home_!"

If any of that short speech had caught Elva's ear, she didn't show any of it. The only small gesture she let out to show that she had heard it was on the last word, which the orange thing had screamed, when she had flinched violently.

Elva's eyes fluttered open, the sound the final thing to force her out of her deep sleep. She blinked in the bright light; someone had opened the curtains. It took a few short seconds for her eyes to adjust, at which point she looked for the source of the scream.

Immediately, she felt like she was going to cry. But unlike the night before, they weren't tears of anger or frustration or even sadness. She was _happy_, and relieved. "Moegi?" she clarified, smiling instantly. She jumped into a sitting position, hugging Moegi before the other teenager had time to react.

Moegi started laughing, but almost in a pained way. "U-Um…Elva…you're crushing me!" she shouted between laughs, unable to contain herself. Elva immediately pulled away, cringing. She looked like she was about to apologize, but Moegi obviously wouldn't let her. "Shut the hell up," she said sternly, still laughing.

Elva bit her bottom lip to stop herself from laughing as well. She was relieved to find that she wasn't the only teenager who sweared casually. Or, at least, she hoped that were the case. She was about to apologize anyway when something else caught her attention. Someone had cleared their throat.

Elva nearly jumped, the sound taking her by surprise. She had thought Moegi was the only one there. Then the thoughts came in a rush as she looked to the door. Konohamaru stood there, leaning against the wall, smirking at Elva. Udon was behind him, crossing his arms, but Elva could tell he wasn't nearly as happy to see her as Konohamaru and Moegi were.

_Oh, Kami,_ was Elva's first thought. She took in Konohamaru, feeling a blush spreading across her cheeks. _I can't believe it…he is so_— She forced that thought out of her mind. She didn't want to accidentally say something aloud she would regret. She let the other thoughts flow freely now. _I hope Udon's still not pissed. That would be awful…wait. Shit. Why are _boys_ in here? In my _bedroom_?_

She instinctively pulled her sheets up to her neck, then realized how stupid she looked and let them fall again. The movement was fast, but obviously not fast for the boys, who exchanged glances and snickered. Udon began looked happier, at least. Elva scowled at them, but couldn't bring herself to say anything. She was still taking in Konohamaru. At least Udon and Moegi looked like their old selves…but Konohamaru…

The thought suddenly hit her. The one that she had to voice out loud. "How the hell did you guys get in here?!" she suddenly demanded, cringing when anger had somehow found its way into her tone.

It most certainly ruined the mood, like Elva had dearly hoped it wouldn't. Udon suddenly rolled his eyes, and Elva could see him thinking, 'Well, of course _she_ hasn't changed in the slightest…' She resisted the intense urge to glare at him. Luckily, though, when he had finished looking annoyed, Udon sighed. "Don't make such a big deal of it, Elva," he said, in a tone that told her he was at least trying to be nice. "You know I work here. I got an extra key."

As if on cue Moegi, who had fallen silent beside Elva, held up a key, smiling widely. Elva wanted to grab the key from her and tell them never to wake her like that again, but she couldn't bring herself to it. No matter what moods she had gone through in the past few moments, she couldn't say she _hadn't_ been happy during them, too.

"Right," Elva muttered, embarrassed about how she had acted. She brushed some hair behind her ear, looking at Udon and Konohamaru again, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry," she murmured, cringing inwardly. After a moment, she tucked some more hair behind her ears and bit her lip, giggling. She looked at Moegi, letting the feeling of happiness seep into her system. "Where did you say we were going today?"

Glad to have Elva's full concentration, Moegi burst into action, jumping to her feet and pulling Elva off the bed. "'Kay," she began, smiling brightly. "First, Udon, Konohamaru, get out of her room." They looked confused, but did so, shutting the door. "Now, let's get you dressed!"

Moegi giggled with excitement, grabbing Elva's duffel and immediately rifling through it. She obviously loved clothes. Her excitement dimmed as she saw how little clothes Elva had, and how none were fashionable enough for her. She sighed, obviously disappointed. "Here," she murmured finally, tossing a pair of dark blue jean shorts and a red camisole at Elva. After another moment of thought, she handed her a short-sleeved, white collared shirt, giving up. "Put those on. I won't look."

As Elva got dressed quickly, Moegi continued looking through her clothes, becoming more and more disgruntled. She kept on making comments, like "You have _got_ to get more clothes, missy," and "If you were me, you'd be dead!" every few seconds. Finally, Elva cleared her throat, and Moegi looked up, some of her excitement returning.

Elva, of course, had buttoned the white shirt all the way down, and Moegi let out a small laugh, shaking her head. "You have so much to learn," she said quietly, as if Elva was some pathetic little child. Elva immediately felt self-conscious, but Moegi ignored her, beginning to unbutton the shirt.

"What makes you think you have such great taste in clothes?" Elva snapped before she could help herself, tossing a glare at Moegi. Moegi just giggled and told her to wait. She had unbuttoned the whole shirt, and was busy tying it halfway up Elva's midsection. When she had finished, she turned Elva unwillingly to the mirror, and let her see.

"It's not…bad," Elva let out grudgingly, a smile twitching at her lips. To tell herself the truth, she loved the outfit. She had never tried the pieces together before, but she wished she had. She immediately took that back mentally, imaging what Kisame would have said seeing her in the dark shorts. They _were _pretty short, but not overly short.

"Now for your hair," Moegi began, grabbing a brush and beginning to brush Elva's hair for her. Elva immediately stopped, frowning again, and twisted around, taking the brush from Moegi.

"No," she stopped the other girl, almost feeling guilty. "I don't like doing much with my hair." She flashed an apologetic grin. "Sorry." When Moegi didn't look very upset, instead like she was scheming something, Elva tried to think about what else could be forced upon her before she could be considered 'presentable.' She suddenly sighed, beating Moegi to the punch. "And _no_ make-up."

Turning back toward the mirror, Elva brushed through her hair quickly, worried now that Moegi was going to pounce on her from behind or something like that, and force make-up on her. She threw the brush down, slipped on a pair of black flip flops that had conveniently fallen out of the duffel, and ran out the door, leaving it open for Moegi.

"Ready," she announced, flashing a smile at the two waiting boys. A blush suddenly sprang to her face once again, watching as Udon and Konohamaru took in her new outfit. She suddenly regretted having let Moegi dress, but she stopped when she saw the look on Konohamaru's face. The blush deepened, although she was smiling again.

Moegi appeared beside her, taking her elbow and pulling her along. More so, dragging. Elva was hesitant to leave so soon, thinking she should at least have breakfast. Then she realized she didn't have breakfast, let alone any kind of food, in the house. She motioned for Udon and Konohamaru to follow the two girls out the door, then turned to follow Moegi.

* * *

Elva was wedged in between Moegi and Konohamaru at Ichiraku's on the stool seats. Udon sat on the other side of Konohamaru, but he didn't seem upset in the slightest that he wasn't sitting next to Elva. They had already ordered, Elva of course taking the longest, the waiter walking off to the kitchen to deliver the order.

"Huh," Konohamaru began, smirking down at Elva. He looked amused. "Do you normally take this much time with all of your decisions, or is this the first time you've been here?"

Elva stared up at him for several beats, slightly dazed. This was the first time he had said something, and she was shocked at how much his voice had changed, too. Compared to Udon's still slightly high pitched voice, Konohamaru sounded like he really was sixteen. All too soon, she realized she needed an answer.

"Well, it's not like I've been to a restaurant lately," she replied, smiling at him. Then she stopped, thinking. _Wait. I was in Kumo, not at Akatsuki. Why haven't I been to a restaurant? Fuck!_ "…I-I mean, not a restaurant like this. I mean…I forgot how big Ichiraku's menu was! All of the restaurants in Kumo are tiny compared to any around here," she lied, everything smooth except for her rocky beginning. She hoped they all would believe her.

But Konohamaru seemed unfazed, to her luck. She was too nervous – or was she just distracted? – to notice the others' faces. "Hmm," he murmured politely, seeming at least a little interested. "But, Elva…really. You were training all of this time? It's weird how you're still so clumsy, don't you think?" He asked then, laughing.

Elva cringed, knowing what he was referring to. On the way out of the apartment building that morning, as she was filling them in on the official story of where she was, she had been so nervous she say something wrong that she tripped on a nonexistent step on the way out of the building. To make it worse, Konohamaru had caught her, which only made her more nervous.

Elva knew her cheeks were burning, but she tried to shrug it off, laughing. "I guess I was just born clumsy, so…it couldn't be helped. Sue me," she said, hoping Konohamaru didn't notice her blushing too much.

"Have you at least gotten to be a better ninja?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. He was teasing her, Elva knew, but she wasn't mad. How could she? He had the most beautiful deep brown eyes…

She shook herself out of it quickly, not going to embarrass herself again by taking forever to speak. "I'm sure I have," she replied defensively. "I bet I'm better than you, at least. But anyone could be, after all." She smirked triumphantly, not able to stop herself from giggling.

Konohamaru stared at Elva in disbelief. "Better than _me_?" he asked, frowning. He seemed completely serious for a moment, and it almost scared Elva. But then he laughed, smiling. "You're right, anyone could be."

Elva nearly melted on the spot. _ He has the most beautiful smile,_ she couldn't help herself from thinking. She was amazed all of her thoughts had stayed inside of her head, but she knew one would soon come out. She paused then, almost frowning. _Why am I so obsessed?_ she wondered, confused. _It's just a crush,_ she reasoned, then paused again. _My first crush,_ she corrected.

To distract herself, she made herself look away from Konohamaru – which was hard enough – and looked around him at Udon, who looked utterly bored. "So, Udon," Elva began, smiling cheerfully. "How often do you work at the apartment complex?"

Udon was caught off guard by Elva, obviously not having expected her to address him any time soon. "Well…I guess a lot," he thought aloud, shrugging. He sniffled, and for the first time Elva saw the handkerchief in his hand.

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. _Some things never change,_ she thought silently, still watching him. When it became apparent he wasn't going to say anything else to her, she turned her attention to Moegi, hoping Konohamaru wouldn't mind her stopping their conversation.

Of course, she was positive he didn't think of her in the way she had been in the past hour or so, so he probably didn't. "So when are we going shopping?" she asked, solely for Moegi's enjoyment.

Moegi, obviously pleased, smiled and started talking right away, her excitement growing as she spoke. "Later today, _duh_," she began, looking at Elva as if she were an idiot. "You are in desperate need of some clothes. Then we'll have to get some make-up for you…and maybe even a haircut!"

Elva's hands immediately went to her hair, flinching.

_Once Elva's hair was about halfway done, Itachi stated suddenly, "Elva, you need to cut your hair."_

Elva hadn't ever considered, much less seriously thought of, cut her hair since Itachi had died. She could feel herself tearing up, no matter how much she willed herself not to. Moegi instantly saw her reaction, no matter how much Elva was trying to hide it. "No," she said quietly, frowning. "No haircut."

"Can I be excused, please?" Elva asked, her voice breaking several times. Udon was blowing his nose, having not heard Elva, but Konohamaru was staring at her, a look of genuine concern on his face. Moegi nodded slowly, obviously feeling terrible.

Before she could say anything else, the tears came in a rush, and Elva jumped to her feet, running for the apartment building as fast as she could. As she put more and more distance between Ichiraku's and her, she heard Udon speaking.

"What the heck is wrong with _her_?"

**Author's Note:**

_**Valbino**_ Lol, yeah! PM me your channel, haha! I'll friend you…or…do whatever YouTubers do, lol! …erm…wait. Subscribe. RIGHT. I'll subscribe to you, lol! If you remind me, I'll PM you later with my channel name…lol, I'm too busy now. No way could I possibly remember. Thanks.

_**The Commander**_ Lol, by now you should be beginning to understand why Konohamaru's one of the main characters. Right? Please say yes…lol. Anyways, thank'ee for reading, and I hoped you enjoyed this chapter, lol!

**_Sasori-Chibi_** To tell you the truth, I kind of forced the flashbacks in, if it wasn't that noticeable, lol. I just felt the chapter was way too short, so I'm all "What could I do? …ah, right! Make Elva sad! That always takes up plenty of space!" Lol, but it true…lol, thanks.

_**AliKatNyah**_ Yeah, yeah, I found the site!! It was like…WikiAsk or something, right? Oh, I dunno. I forgot already, lol. But, yeah, I found his email, but I was too chicken to email him, lol. I'm sure plenty of crazed fangirls have already sent him hate mail…but what should I say? Lol, thanks for the site and for reviewing!

**OH. MY. GOD. **

_**Breaking Dawn**_**. You have no idea how hard it is to drag out this book. I got it at 11:59 p.m. on August 1****st**** – HA, TAKE THAT FELLOW TWILIGHTERS. I got the book literally a minute before everyone else in my time zone…haha, which I won't tell you which one that is. Let's just say it's before the majority of the U.S., that's for sure. Haha, obviously I'm from the U.S. You know that now.**

**But I read until 2:30 in the morning, when my friend – she was sleeping over, and was reading **_**Twilight **_**– said we should probably go to be. I woke up at seven o'clock and went straight back to reading, lol. We both read until 12:30, when her mom picked her up. Lol, she likes those books, luckily! She's my only friend that would let me read for that long!**

**Then, as August 1****st**** was my older sister's seventeenth birthday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY AGAIN, MAH SISTER!), I was forced on the 2****nd**** to stop reading and go out to lunch. I read until about eleven at night, at which point I was forced to forfeit my attempt at reading it in one night.**

**Today, being the third of August, I have less than two hundred pages left (like, a 759 page book or something like that…I'm on page 582, haha), and I found out at, like, six o'clock in the afternoon that apparently I'm going to Florida tomorrow, so I decided to save the remainder of the book for the plane ride to Orlando. Oops, I just gave out my location – TOO BAD, DO YOU KNOW HOW BIG THAT FREAKING CITY IS?!**

**Really. Sometimes it bugs me when some people are like "Oh, no! You said you'll be in Orlando, FL! People will find you!" …no. They won't. The odds that there are more **_**Naruto**_** fanfictioners (is that the correct term, lol?) in the entire city is very, very large, I assure you. The odds that at least one of them loves Itachi and has written either an ItachixOC fanfic or one where Itachi has a kid is almost as likely.**

**So, yeah. **

_Ooooh, my God. I totally wanna cut off some of Edward Cullen's skin and wear it to my birthday…it's coming up._

**Lol, Hector from **_**Blades of Glory**_**! I watched, like, half of it today. It was ah-MAZING. Honestly. I love that movie.**

**But you know what's an even BETTER movie?!**

_**THE DARK KNIGHT**_**. Oh. My. GAWD. If you have seen Heath Ledger in any other movie before, you would be IN SHOCK. Of course, anyone would be. At most parts, I was all "0.o …is he even ACTING?!" **

**You know what I hate? People who suddenly love actors once they've died. So many people I know suddenly did that, and I was all "What the FUCK, man. Sure, you can watch his movies and enjoy them, but don't suddenly become OBSESSED." I mean, I thought he was a great actor before he died, so it just really pisses me off.**

**And so, randomly, I have – just now, on the spur of the moment – to dedicate this, my (most likely) longest Author's Note in the history of Author's Notes, to several people…erm…things.**

**R.I.P. **_Heath Ledger_, an ah-MAZING actor.

**R.I.P. **_The Twilight Saga_. You will be missed. …NO. EDWAAAAAAAAARD!

**R.I.P.** _Charlie Pace_…yes, I am an avid Lost watch…er….

**Anywhoos, PLEASE REVIEW. You know you want to!!**

**Love, as always,**

**-Meri Umeko-**


	5. Time Flies

**Disclaimer:**

**I do not own **_**Naruto**_**. It was created by and belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

A smile twitched on Elva's lips. She whirled on her heel, away from her door, toward the sound. She stared at Konohamaru, unable to speak, in utter shock. _Did he just…?_ Her mind slowly began working. _Did he _seriously _ask…_ The air came in with a sudden rush, so fast and so cold it made Elva shudder. The smile that had threatened to appear burst across her face. "I'm sorry," she said softly, still watching Konohamaru. "…what did you say? I was…spacing out."

Konohamaru seemed hesitant this time, now aware of Udon and Moegi's stares burning a hole in his back. Elva realized suddenly that he had probably thought they were out of earshot when he had asked. Another thrill shot through Elva at the memory. _But he couldn't have been serious,_ she reprimanded herself. _He'd have to be insane._

"I was just asking," he began, clearing his throat several times unnecessarily. He looked _nervous_, which was certainly not something Elva would ever have said he could be. "If you wanted to go to dinner tomorrow night," he finished sheepishly. Another thing that Elva would have never imagined of Konohamaru happened then – he _blushed._

When he saw Elva's smile falter, he quickly added, "That is, maybe. If you want to. If you don't, that's really okay. Honestly."

Elva sighed, rolling her eyes. "You _are_ insane," she muttered under her breath, looking back to Konohamaru. He looked confused, but she shook her head, smiling again. "I would—" She stopped abruptly, noticing Udon and Moegi down the hall, waiting for her answer. Her face blushed a deep red, and she cringed, instantly embarrassed. "I'd love to," she finally mumbled, looking at the ground. She was relieved when some of her dark hair fell in front of her flushed face, hiding at least some of it.

"Okay," Konohamaru said, and it was obvious to Elva that he was trying very hard not to laugh at her. Her head snapped up, her face returning to its pale shade fast. It made her angry that he was going to laugh, however much she liked liking him. Seeing her reaction, Konohamaru's smile fell off his face. "Sorry," he said quietly, cringing.

"That's fine," Elva responded, a little too curtly, perhaps. She sighed then, seeing him resist the urge to cringe a second time. "_I'm_ sorry," she insisted, smiling apologetically. "I'm just tired, and you took me off guard. That's all."

It was a lie, but she didn't care. She could never be tired around Konohamaru. Just being near him, not even looking at him or talking to him, energized Elva. It made her _happy_ beyond belief, which almost scared her. But the part about taking her off guard? That certainly was true, at the very least.

"Oh," Konohamaru said, nodding. "Sorry. We _did_ do a lot today, I guess. I should probably be going, too." He smiled warmly. "Good night."

Elva didn't trust herself responding to that smile. She felt her heart flutter, and knew she didn't have much time before she would blush again. She nodded, smiling back in what she hoped was a passable way. She reached for the doorknob, twisting it. It wouldn't budge.

The blush came anyway, and her hands went into her pockets, searching for the key. She could hear Konohamaru, Udon, and Moegi laughing quietly behind her, but she didn't care. She was too embarrassed to be angry again. After what seemed like forever, she found the key, unlocked the door, and jumped inside, relieved to be away from them.

She leaned against the door, staring up at the ceiling, sighing deeply. _Only me,_ she muttered to herself. _That could only ever happen to me._

Still, she was slightly blown away from the thought of dinner with Konohamaru, alone. She froze for a moment, panicking. _Wait. He never said "alone." He just said "dinner with me," didn't he? Well, he didn't even add "with me." What if it's not a date? What if it's with Moegi and Udon? I am so stupid! Of course it is! _

A second wave of panic swept over Elva _…but what if it is only with him? What would I wear? How would I put up my hair? Maybe I could curl it…but it doesn't curl. I _hate _my hair! …maybe I could ask Moegi! Yeah, maybe she would understand what he meant. Right…I'll just ask her later, that's all._

She forced her panic down finally, making herself calm down. Still, her head was spinning so much she couldn't help but realize she could hardly remember everything that had happened in the past few days. _What's wrong with me?_ she wondered to herself. _Is he really getting to me that much?_ A flutter of butterflies in her stomach clarified that, yes, he was.

Elva knew she was forgetting something. Of course, she forgot a lot of things, and her infatuation with Konohamaru hadn't helped that, obviously. She could barely remember all of the countless activities Moegi, Udon, and Konohamaru had made her do in the past few days, let alone completely forgetting what she knew was important.

Hoping to find some sort of reminder, Elva went into her bedroom, looking through her journal. The only things written in there from the past week was her to-do list from her first night here. She hadn't been able to find time to write any more in her time in Konoha.

But her first night. There was something. Elva wracked her memory for everything that had happened on that first day. The scalding bath, her less-than-happy reunion with Udon, the drunk guards, Sasuke by the fire. She paused, a feeling of dread creeping up inside of her. _Sasuke._

Remembering what she had so easily forgotten, Elva stuck her key back in her pocket, opening the door and flying out again and out of the apartment, hurrying as fast as she could for the gate out of Konoha. She couldn't help but feel the cold breeze sweep by, and she realized how late it must be by now. She hoped Sasuke was still waiting for her.

_Of course he's waiting,_ she reassured herself. _Kisame would kill him._ It was weird, suddenly having to think of everyone from Akatsuki. Elva hadn't thought of them for one second since her first night in Konoha. Then again, a lot of things had happened on her first night.

Before she knew it, Elva had reached the gate. She slipped through easily, automatically holding up her – this time _real_ – pass, though she didn't really need it, and went by the guards. She suddenly recalled that going to the registration area with her friends had been one of the things she had done that week. Moegi had needed to update her pass, after all, so Elva had come along, too. Apparently, although Elva had never known it before, you were supposed to renew it every five years. Go figure. It worked out perfectly for her.

It wasn't until Elva was deep into the forest that she realized just how lost she was. She didn't recognize any of the greenery around her, but then again, she had no idea where she was supposed to meet Sasuke. She knew there had been a spot he had specified. She just couldn't remember it at all.

"_Shit_," she said to herself, apparently in a yell, because she heard somewhere far off one of the guards call out to her. Just as she was about to shout back and tell them to ignore it, a hand was around her mouth, stopping her. Immediately she panicked, screaming, even though no one would have been able to hear her.

"Shut the hell up," a voice said sharply behind her. Elva obeyed instantly, relieved. "Where have you been?" Sasuke continued angrily. "I've been waiting for three and a half hours."

When Elva's mouth had been freed, she sighed, rolling her eyes. "It's not like you specified a time, exactly. You just said what day." She knew she should have come earlier, though – it was probably going to be midnight soon. "…but I'm sorry," she added, noting this.

"That's all right," Sasuke replied grudgingly, frowning. "Just be earlier from now on. That's simple enough, right?" She nodded. "Good. Now before you tell me about your week, I have a few things I forgot to tell you last week."

When Elva didn't say anything, Sasuke went ahead. "All right. Mainly, it's only one thing, but it has many parts. To sum it up, don't miss a day. I'll stay until a little after midnight every week, and then leave – you almost missed your chance today. You have three strikes; miss a day, and you have two strikes left. You know the rest."

He paused. "When you lose a strike, I come for a visit to make sure you're still alive. But trust me, you won't want to be if you skip a day. I'll be angry." Elva knew he wasn't joking. He continued. "If you miss three weeks in a row…" He stopped for dramatic effect, smirking now. "You come back to Akatsuki. No exceptions. Understand?"

"That's not fair!" Elva shot, trying to reason. "What if it's an emergency?"

"Three weeks in a row? That's a pretty big emergency," Sasuke pointed out, looking amused. "I won't explain this all again, so please, for your sake, just remember it." Now he nodded his head toward her, saying, "You can start telling me all of the _intimate details_ of your personal life now, Elva." It was obvious he was mocking her.

Elva glared at him, remaining quiet. Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "What, you've suddenly gone mute?" Still nothing. He sighed. "Elva," he began, "I don't care about your life, you know that. It's just Kisame being paranoid. The sooner you tell me, the sooner I can report back to him, and the sooner it'll be over with."

After the first sentence, Elva had flinched suddenly. Sasuke, picking up on it, frowning. "What?" Thinking back for a moment, he sighed again. "That's not what I meant," he muttered, still frowning. "It's not that I don't care about your _life_, I just don't care what you do with it." He paused, then scowled. "I can't say it right. It won't make my life any more fun to know everything you do. …I suppose that's what I'm trying to say," he finished feebly, frowning again.

Elva was silent for a while, watching Sasuke, waiting for him to say something again, when she shrugged. "I don't know. Tell Kisame that nothing _important_ has happened. I've done everything I should. I've been a perfectly good little girl for him. But tell him I hate it, okay? Tell him that I hate _him._" She stopped at that, then sighed, shaking her head. "Never mind. Don't say that. It's unnecessary. Just…say there's nothing big to report. Is that doable? If not, make up something of your own."

To her surprise, Sasuke smirked. "If Kisame realizes I'm lying, he'll have my head," he stated, and Elva knew he was serious. Or at least serious for the most part.

"You mean you'll do it?" Elva asked, shocked. When Sasuke nodded, she smiled. "Thanks," she said, hoping she sounded convincing. She really did want to thank him.

They were both silent for a while, not quite knowing what to do or say now that everything was all of a sudden done with. Finally, Sasuke cleared his throat. "Well, you look exhausted," he observed, eyeing Elva. "You should go back into the village and go to sleep."

"All right," Elva responded slowly, nodding. "I _am_ pretty tired," she admitted. And it was true – suddenly, just as Sasuke had said it, a wave of exhaustion had hit her. Apparently her high from Konohamaru didn't last so long after he left. She paused, then smiled at Sasuke again. "Thanks…again," she murmured, turning to leave.

She thought she heard a 'yeah, yeah' coming from him, but when she turned around, Sasuke was gone.

**Author's Note:**

_**Valbino**_ Lol, you must have REALLY liked the "hair thing." Lol, you were all "Holy !" …haha…but I couldn't find the subscribe button on your YouTube channel. I friended you…but I didn't see a subscribe button. If there is one, TELL MEH. And thanks for subscribing me!! BUT – OMG – I LOVE YOUR CHANNEL BACKGROUND. It brought back tearful Itachi memories…

_**The Commander**_ I don't know Elva had dreams about Itachi's death…it was just a foreboding thing for Good Things Aren't Meant to Last. Sorry. I loooove the movie 10 Things I Hate About You! He's soo funny in that! And I love the dad in that, too. I forget the character names, but he made his younger daughter wear the pregnant belly. "Now you have to feel the weight of your decisions…" Lol.

_**Sasori-Chibi **_ You do? GOOD. I was worried that everyone who read my story was going to hate Elva when she was older…but you like it that she has a crush? Good!! Thanks soo much, haha!

_**AliKatNyah **_Lol, thanks for noticing. I tried to make it cute…ish. Haha, I've never tried romance before. I'm glad that it…seemed, at least…to go well, lol. BUT OMG. BREAKING DAWN WAS AMAZING, WAS IT NOT?? HAVE YOU FINISHED? OH, MY GAWD.

**NOTE TO SELF:** _I promise to myself that I will write this chapter TODAY, and no other. It is 11:40 A.M. Let the record show. I am starving. My hunger will be what makes this chapter come into existence. I refuse to go downstairs until this chapter is finished. My stomach hurts at the thought of it. But my mind is made up._

**I played Sims 2 today when I went braindead. Haha. It was jolly good fun. Great, wonderful fun. A blast. …I'll shut up now. …well, no, I won't. You see, I made a Sim of me – I feel bad for it, it was so ugly, lol! And…yeah. She burnt spaghetti, set macaroni and cheese on fire, broke the shower, broke the dishwasher, broke the electric trash bin, broke the television, and all within one day. …no, really, I'm not joking. That would sooo be me if I lived alone in a house. I mean…I am GLAD that I had smoke detectors installed.**

**I mean, really. What's going to happen now? A burglar? Well, now that I mention it, I've probably jinxed it. …yeah, they're going to take my game station again, aren't they? Damn them. No depth of the fiery pits of hell are punishment for evil Sims. …haha, that's an inside joke. I dunno why I just said that.**

**IT'S FUN TO BURN SIMS ON PURPOSE.**

**This one time, on the original Sims game, my sister and I had this one family with parents and one kid. And one day when the girl was at school, we killed the parents by trapping them in a windowless and doorless room filled with lit fireplaces and huge plants. They died quickly. Yet painfully.**

**When the girl came home, we put a door in the wall so she could mourn her parents. It was sad, you know, and we almost felt bad…until another plant "accidentally" caught fire because of my sister and keeled her, too. Now those three Sims are in happy-Sim-heaven. If there is such a thing.**

**So…yeah. Please review. You know I love you all. I'll try to stop ranting now.**

**PLEASE REVIEW!!**

**-Meri Umeko-**


	6. Dinosaurs are Sexy

**Disclaimer:**

**I do not own **_**Naruto.**_** It was created by and belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

"Hold still," Moegi mumbled under her breath, concentrating completely on the task of hand.

Which, unfortunately for Elva, had to do with putting on mascara. And it hurt, badly. Elva couldn't help from flinching every couple of seconds when her previous flinch had caused Moegi to stab her eye once again. The only thing that had stopped Elva from forcibly taking the mascara from Moegi was something she had said earlier – that Konohamaru would like it. That was incentive enough for Elva, apparently.

Still, she felt so stupid. Quite honestly, she had never before worn make-up in her life. She felt like a complete mental case, what with her over-done face, phony curls in her hair, and stupid black dress. She prayed Konohamaru would like it. She really did. If he didn't, she only wondered what she would do to Moegi later on.

This sparked some excitement, obviously noted by Moegi, who smirked. "What is it?" she muttered, putting the mascara away. Elva breathed a secret sigh of relief. "You finally believe Konohamaru'll like this? Elva, you look _hot_."

Elva cringed inwardly, scowling. "Ugh, don't say that," she shot, resisting the urge to wipe away the mascara and various products smothering her face at the thought. Moegi frowned, but didn't say anything. Elva stood up from the bed, going to the mirror.

She had to admit, she loved the dress. It wasn't _that_ terribly stupid, even though she wouldn't have in a million years chosen it for a date. It was too fancy. After all, he was only taking her out to dinner, right? Did Moegi know something she didn't? She stole a glance at Moegi, subconsciously smoothing out some wrinkles in the dress, and confirmed her own question. _Definitely,_ she groaned to herself, rolling her eyes.

Elva decided to try her luck, just one last time. "So…" she began nervously, glancing at Moegi. "Any idea where we're going?" At least she wasn't straight-out asking like she had been minutes before – she had an idea that her relentless interrogation had been what prompted the painful mascara.

Smirking, the other girl shrugged. "Well, yeah, I do," she said, sitting on the bed now cross-legged. She let the words sink in for a moment before adding, "Sadly, I'm under pain of death if I tell you." When Elva scowled, Moegi laughed. "No, really. Konohamaru said he'd kill me if I told you. He's afraid you won't like what he's planned."

"Of course I will!" Elva protested, putting her hands on her hips. "I'd like anything if…" She stopped briefly, considering the rest of her answer. _If _he_ had planned it for me._ She decided not, changing it at the last minute. "If any guy had been stupid enough to ask me out." She felt so stupid when she blushed afterwards, as if she had gone ahead and said the original thought first.

Moegi scoffed, unfazed by the pause. "Elva, I don't think you even see yourself. What, have you really placed yourself in a mindset where you _really_ don't think you're pretty? Either that, or you're as modest as…I don't know, an angel? I don't know. But really, Elva. You've _seen_ Konohamaru, haven't you? You _have_ to be pretty if he would like you."

Elva was surprised by the sudden flame of jealousy that leapt up in her at Moegi's comment on Konohamaru. It was only fueled by the following sentence. Elva could so clearly hear the grudging edge to that last sentence. Trying to act like nothing was wrong, she turned back toward the mirror, taking a deep breath. "Thanks, Moegi," she said lightly after a few seconds had passed.

Before Moegi could shrug it off and decide on something else to do to Elva's hair, or face, someone knocked at the door. Elva's back immediately went rigid, and she could see her face paling in the mirror. _He's here,_ she thought to herself, and that was the only thing she could think. Not about why in the world she was scared he was here, not grateful that, at the very least, her happiness was still there, mixed in oddly with the fear. Only that, out in the hallway, Konohamaru was waiting. For _her_.

"Elva!" Moegi shouted, knocking her out of her faze. She said it in a tone that hinted at the fact that she had been talking to her before, and just realized she wasn't listening. "What are you doing?" she asked. "He's out there. He doesn't know I was here, so focus. I can't walk you to the door in case you faint." It sounded like something a mocking person would say, but Moegi was completely serious.

Elva looked at herself in the mirror. Did she really look like she was about to faint? Actually, yes, she did. "Right. Sorry," she mumbled, slipping on the painful black heels Moegi had picked out for her. She paused, then forced a smile at Moegi. "Thanks," she said, trying to sound as convincing as she could.

Moegi just nodded, motioning to the door. _I wasn't here,_ she mouthed to Elva as a reminder, then pushed her out of the door unwillingly. Elva could barely make it from her bedroom to the door without fainting. She was worried how she was going to make it through the night when she opened the door.

Konohamaru stood there in all of his wonder, looking as awkward and uncomfortable as could be in his tuxedoed glory. His outfit looked so out of place, not only in Konoha, but for his personality and style in general. Just like Elva. She couldn't keep herself from smiling, shutting the door behind her. She was the first to speak. "Hey," she said, feeling stupid that the one word was all she could think of saying.

He returned her smile gratefully. "Hey," he mumbled. He seemed to realize how stupid he sounded, at which point he cleared his throat, renewing his smile. "Ready to go?" he asked, motioning backwards at the hallway. Just when Elva looked like she was about to respond, he smirked, holding up a piece of cloth. "Blindfolded?"

* * *

"Okay, seriously, Konohamaru, where the hell are we?" Elva finally asked, frowning. She had stopped laughing and joking about the blindfold about, perhaps, two to three thousand steps ago. _Why am I counting?_ Elva then asked herself. Well, she didn't have any better things to do while blind, did she?

"Just a bit farther," Konohamaru answered, evading the question. He seemed unmoved by Elva's annoyance, which just further fueled it.

At least he had told the truth. Approximately twenty-five steps later – give or take, Elva had honestly stopped caring once he had finally answered her – he let go of her hand. The only good thing to come of the blindfolding. Elva sighed audibly. Then she reprimanded herself quickly. _Kami, do I want him to think I'm that desperate? He'll hold my hand again…hopefully._ She cringed. _Man. I _am_ desperate._

All of a sudden, the blindfold was off. Elva was surprised at how dark it was – it was summer, of course, so even though it was fairly late, it should have still been lighter. Then Elva realized she was inside, and she relaxed. "Oh. A restaurant?" She tried not to let her voice sound too disappointed. But really, after three thousand steps in blindness, wouldn't anyone expect more than a restaurant?

"…of a sort," Konohamaru responded slyly, making Elva's interest fire up again. She turned to him, wide-eyed, about to ask what it was, when put a hand over her mouth, smirking. "Baby's asleep."

This, of course, only made Elva's interest flare more, along with confusion. _He's a father? No way,_ she thought to herself, then reconsidered. _Or he's an older brother. Yeah, that makes a ton more sense._

As if to answer her question, Konohamaru motioned over Elva's shoulder down the hallway. "This is my house. Kind of," he explained as Elva turned around in the direction he had pointed out. "You can go on into the kitchen." As she walked on, he kept talking. "I've lived here for about…three or four years. Once I was able to convince my parents to let me move in with my aunt, Kurenai. See, my uncle died during a mission, and she was pregnant, so for a year or two she was all alone with the kid." He flashed a brilliant smile, teasing. "I, of course, insisted on becoming my cousin's surrogate father. I'm amazing at it, might I add."

Elva smiled back uneasily, a twinge of guilt invading her system. _How can he talk so nonchalantly about someone dying?_ she wondered to herself, then realized something. _Normal people take death in stride. It happens all the time – they have to. Stupid little me just dwells on it for years. And because of that, I still can't talk about…_

Pushing the thought back, she smiled more confidently now. "Oh, that's great!" Then she paused. "But…if the child's, like…four or five? …well, then…why are they still taking naps during the daytime?" She stopped again, then laughed softly. "Right. Silly me. It's _night_time. Stupid." As a joke, she took one of her hands and bopped it on her head, forcing a laugh.

Before she could let it fall back to her side, though, Konohamaru's hand met hers on her cheek, and instantly he was frowning. "…you're not stupid," he said softly, like he was confused at how she could possibly think that. The sudden seriousness of the moment nearly killed Elva, until he took her hand and pulled it, yanking it from her face and toward the kitchen. "You just can't fight to save your life," he jested, smiling brightly at her all of a sudden.

"I can, too!" Elva protested as she was unwillingly dragged into the kitchen. This bright light, as opposed to the dim light in the hallway, made her eyes squint reflexively, until they had adjusted. "I'm going to get you for that blindfold someday," she muttered under her breath, although she wasn't sure Konohamaru could hear her.

He had already let go of her hand – to Elva's dismay – and had set himself to work in the kitchen. It looked like he was making pasta of a sort, but Elva couldn't be sure. She wasn't much into making food, not nearly as much as she liked to eat it. She understood how to make fruit salad, so when Konohamaru instructed her to do so, she cheerfully went to the fridge to get the needed ingredients.

"I love fruit," she mused out loud as she skinned an apple, glancing over at Konohamaru.

"That's why I told you to make the salad," he responded, meeting her gaze for a moment before going back to his own business. Whatever he was making certainly looked more complicated than what Elva was working on. Every few moments he would stir the contents of the bowl, then add some sort of seasoning or grated cheese or something or other.

Elva was suddenly so consumed in watch what he was doing that she had lost all former concentration on her apple. Only a sudden wave of pain caused her to snap out of her daze. She gasped, dropping the knife and apple instinctively, then jumping out of the knife's path when it fell to the floor. Her thumb was cut, but luckily not badly – but it still killed.

"U-Um…Konohamaru…" She stumbled, glancing over at her previously oblivious date. _Why did something have to go wrong tonight?_ she yelled at herself mentally, angry.

Konohamaru glanced at her, then did a double take, taking in what had happened. He chuckled, then looked at her, eyebrows raised. "Yeah?" he asked, smirking. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Well, I don't exactly enjoy seeing myself bleed," Elva half-joked, sarcasm obvious in her tone. "So could I please have a band-aid?"

"I don't know," Konohamaru began, with overdone obliviousness. "_Could_ you have a band-aid?" He mused, wondering aloud. To overdo it all even more, he tapped his chin thoughtfully, staring up at the ceiling.

Elva's eyes narrowed at the display, but she forced her annoyance down for a second. "Come on," she whined quietly, sighing. She played up the tone of disappointment and hurt as much as she could. "It stings."

_Bingo_, Elva thought, suppressing a smirk when Konohamaru looked at Elva, concern clouding his eyes for a second. Almost as soon as it was there, it disappeared when he met Elva's mocking gaze. He scowled, but went to a cabinet and tossed her the band-aid box.

Eyeing the box, Elva nodded to herself. "Mmm. Dinosaurs. Sexy," she murmured aloud, then realized exactly what she had just said. Instantly the blushed a deep red, looking up to see Konohamaru on the verge of cracking up. "What the hell do you want?" she demanded, immediately defensive.

"I can't believe you just said that," he replied, covering his smile with a hand. "_Dinosaurs_," he then mimicked in an absurdly high voice. "_Sexy_."

Elva pulled out a band-aid with a t-rex on it, putting it on over her thumb before taking the box and chucking it at Konohamaru. She smirked, rolling her eyes when he cringed theatrically. "Jerk," she muttered, grabbing what was done of the fruit salad and leaving for the dining room.

* * *

"I'm stealing some of this," Elva announced randomly, holding up a full-to-the-top container of her delicious fruit salad. Konohamaru, seeming offended, motioned to the pot of his pasta.

"You didn't like my wonderful creation?" He sounded shocked. "After all of the time I spent slaving over the kitchen stove, and you _don't want it_? Well, Elva, I'm sorry, but I can tell you that you will never again taste it again. Ever. I hope you're happy."

"Extremely," she responded smoothly, perking an eyebrow at Konohamaru before heading for the door. Konohamaru was at her side seconds after, hand around her waist. Elva had to fight down the urge to blush again – she could hardly count the number of times she had flushed red that night. It was so embarrassing.

"You don't think I'm going to let you walk home alone?" Although Konohamaru was obviously trying to sound joking for Elva's benefit, she could sense a bit of seriousness in his tone.

To reassure him, she smiled up at him, his returning smile sending chills down her spine. "Never," she replied. When Konohamaru leaned forward the smallest centimeter, Elva shied away. "I need to be going home," she reminded him, opening the door and holding it for him.

"I'm supposed to be holding the door open for you," he murmured, walking out dejectedly.

Smirking, Elva followed him out, shutting the door after her. They both started off for her apartment building. Side by side, for the longest time all Elva could listen to was the sound of his footsteps next to her, his even breathing, anything having to do with _him_, and then having to deal with the fact that their date was ending.

This only scared her more. _Is he going to try to kiss me?_ Elva then stopped, confused. _Did he already try to kiss me? …right before we left?_ She glanced at him quickly, worried, then looked at the road again. _What if I ruined it?_ she then worried, biting her lip. _What if he doesn't ask me out again? What if—_

Before Elva could question her future in spinsterhood, Konohamaru interrupted her thoughts. "Um…we're here," he said, too loudly, but to Elva it sounded like his voice was a mile away. She looked up, shaken out of her thoughts. She looked utterly confused, prompting a repeat. "We're at the building," he said, annunciating every syllable, gesturing to the doors in front of them.

"Oh. Right," Elva replied, recovering fast. She flashed a smile at him, then motioned for him to follow her in. They went up the three flights of stairs fast, too fast, arriving at her door far too soon. And then it was time to say good-bye.

"I had a great time tonight," Konohamaru began, already sounding a bit awkward.

Elva had to laugh, at least a little. "Yeah, me too," she responded, then held up her left hand, where her thumb was still bandaged. "And thanks again." It was obvious what she was referring to.

Like he was remembering an inside joke, Konohamaru laughed. He shook his head for a moment and ducked it down, and Elva could have sworn she heard the words 'dinosaur' and 'sexy' yet again. She resisted the urge to scowl. She didn't want anything to further hurt the remainder of their date.

He looked back up, face perfectly composed. "Can I see you again?" he suddenly asked. Elva's face immediately brightened, but even so, he continued. "That is, only if you want to. I mean, there has to be something you couldn't do in _Kumo_ that you want to do now you're back in Konoha."

Elva was silent for a long moment, thinking, before she suddenly gasped, excited. "Swimming!" she exclaimed, smiling. "I haven't been swimming in _years_!"

"Swimming it is, then," Konohamaru replied, satisfied. "I'll talk to you later, then?"

"Yeah, of course," Elva answered, still excited.

He smiled again, then turned and started away. Elva's heart started to sink instantly. _He's not going to kiss me_, was all she could think as she watched him leave. _I ruined it. Perfect._ Then she stopped, a smile growing on her face. _But wait. Perfect! He asked me out – again! He doesn't think I'm insane! This is perfect!_

She happily now unlocked her apartment door and went in, shutting and locking the door behind her. She dropped the keys on the kitchen table and started for the bedroom immediately, then suddenly stopped, panic racing through her system.

_He looked back up, face perfectly composed. "Can I see you again?" he suddenly asked. Elva's face immediately brightened, but even so, he continued. "That is, only if you want to. I mean, there has to be something you couldn't do in _Kumo_ that you want to do now you're back in Konoha."_

"Fuck," Elva heard herself whisper, eyes wide. "He doesn't believe me."

**Author's Note:**

_**Valbino**_ Omg, the Sims is the BEST game EVER. I swear, I made this one random Sim, stuck him in a house, and made him set the house on fire…WITH a smoke detector in the house, but no doors! Haha, the firemen were all, "This is a big problem! I can't find a way in!" on the notifications. I took pictures of him BURNING…hehe…no, I'm not insane. Haha. GOOD. I'm liking Sasuke more and more, too. …but…I went to your channel, and I can only Subscribe to your favorites (why did I capitalize Subscribe? Lol).

_**The Commander**_ It's fine, really! You don't have to have uber-long reviews, haha! Well, yeah, I think anyone'd be upset if they had been in Elva's situation, haha. That's why I put her in those – I love to torture her! Not sure why…but it makes me feel powerful. LOL, your sister did that?? Nice…real nice, hehe…

_**Sasori-Chibi**_ He would make a good uncle, I think…or maybe not. Yeah, definitely not. So it's a stretch, but I like this version of Sasuke more than the real one! Your sisters do the same to their Sims? OMIGOSH. More and more people reveal that they do that/used to do that to their Sims at one point when I tell them. It's hilarious! Then I'm all "OMIGAWD, HAVE YOU EVER…" and then I fill in the blank with something awful I made the Sims do, like cheat on their spouses or become enemies with their children. Haha. They usually say they did, too.

_**AliKatNyah**_ It is?? Good…I keep on thinking it's going horribly. Thanks! OMIGAWD, OMIGAWWWWWD _BREAKING DAWN_ IS SO HACKING AH-MAZING. Okay…yeah…yeah, I'm calm, lol. But…I mean…EDWARD. Who can't love him? I'll tell you who. SOME STUPID-ASS WEREWOLF, THAT'S WHO. But even Jacob's secretly gay for him…he just hasn't admitted it yet, haha!

**It's so sad, because the next few chapters I'm not quite sure what exactly I'm going to do. See, I have the last chapter basically planned out, and the one before that…and the one before that, too…but…lemme think. After this one, that's six…then…seven…eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen. MAYBE fourteen chapters…perhaps more…but I'd probably guess about thirteen chapters.**

**I KNOW YOU'RE PROBABLY GOING TO GROAN WHEN YOU HEAR THIS, BUT I HAVE THIS AMAZINGLY STUPID IDEA FOR A THIRD STORY. Of course, if I were to decide to write a third installment (haha, big word!), you would all hate me for the horrible idea. I mean…it's pushing poor Elva TOO far.**

**PLEASE REVIEW!!**

**Love always,**

**-Meri Umeko-**


	7. Metaphorically Drowning

**Disclaimer:**

**I do not own **_**Naruto.**_** It was created by and belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

"Promise you won't laugh."

Elva knew she sounded stupid. She knew she was making a big deal. Still, she didn't care. She held the beach towel tightly around her body, already feeling too exposed. She could hardly imagine how much worse she would feel when it was off. _ A bikini,_ she muttered to herself, sighing. _I am such an idiot. Why did I let Moegi talk me into it? I mean… Why don't I just crawl into bed next to Konohamaru and say 'fuck me?' _ She was a bit shocked for a moment at her thought, almost enough to blush, but luckily she didn't.

Meanwhile, Konohamaru had laughed. "Elva, it's just water," he reasoned. "You swim in water. You're wearing a _swimming _suit. That's normal." He stopped then, and when Elva didn't move he put his hands on his hips. Elva almost didn't see the movement, he was already neck high in water. "Come on," he half-whined. "Don't be such a baby."

"Maybe I like being a baby," she responded instantly, holding the towel closer to her instinctively. She was silent for a long second, then bit her lip. "Please, just promise, Konohamaru," she mumbled, sounding miserable. She knew how she sounded, and it was intentional. She had a theory.

_Elva's eyes narrowed at the display, but she forced her annoyance down for a second. "Come on," she whined quietly, sighing. She played up the tone of disappointment and hurt as much as she could. "It stings."_

Bingo_, Elva thought, suppressing a smirk when Konohamaru looked at Elva, concern clouding his eyes for a second. Almost as soon as it was there, it disappeared when he met Elva's mocking gaze. He scowled, but went to a cabinet and tossed her the band-aid box._

She felt guilty even thinking about her theory. If it was true, she could use it to get whatever she wanted, even if it just made her even guiltier. She stole a glance at Konohamaru, keeping her face solemn, to look for his reaction. As she had meant to do, he himself looked a bit guilty, probably feeling bad for not promising right away.

"…I promise," he replied softly, averting his eyes from hers, to the ground at her feet. "I won't laugh."

Wanting to get it over with, and wanting to lift the suddenly serious mood, Elva slid off the towel quickly, dropping it to the ground. She shivered as a breeze hit her bare skin, and she cringed then, remembering what she must look like. She had always had some weird inability to tan, so her skin was dead white. That couldn't possibly be attractive. Her long, black hair was pulled into a messy bun, her bangs swept off to the side.

Even worse, the bikini Moegi had lent her was a light purple. It made her eyes stand out. Of course, that had been the very first thing Elva had realized when she had tried on the swimsuit early that morning. She cringed yet again when she recalled that. _Well, there's nothing I can do now. No need to get upset about it. I'll just…yell at Moegi later._ With that small solace, she took a deep breath, and dared a look at Konohamaru.

…then again, she might _not_ be yelling at Moegi, after all. Konohamaru looked shocked, to say the least – but pleasantly so. Obviously he had been expecting something worse, considering Elva's intense worry. She liked his reaction. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but it almost looked like he _wanted_ her. The second that thought crossed her mind, she blushed instantaneously.

"Damn it," she muttered, covering her face in her hands. _I'm so embarrassed,_ she groaned to herself. _Am I ever going to be able to think, say…do anything with him around? I hate this—_ She was interrupted when she felt a wet – yet warm – hand on her arm.

Immediately, her head jerked up. She instinctively pulled her arm away from the hand, but a second later she blushed again, realizing who it was. Konohamaru was a foot or two away from her, his hand still reached out to where her arm was a moment before, still registering her reaction. Then a look of hurt flashed across his face, although he seemed to try to cover it up.

Elva cringed, and quickly stepped toward him. "Konohamaru, I'm sorry," she said softly. "It's okay, you…you just startled me, is all," she insisted. _Why does nothing in my life work out?_ she moaned to herself, feeling awful.

"No." Konohamaru very nearly interrupted her, beginning less than a second after she had finished. "I'm sorry. If you don't want to go swimming, that's fine. And it's probably weird, too…not even going to the pool. This river is just…Moegi, Udon, and I come here all the time, is all."

"No, really, I liked the river," Elva responded, forcing a smile up at Konohamaru. She had completely forgotten where they were, but now that she looked around, her smile became just a bit more natural. "I love this river, actually," she said slowly, thinking. "I almost…I think I remember it."

She did, too, but she didn't know how to tell him. _It was…the first time I met…Dad. I was so stupid at the time, I really must've been. How old was I? Eight…I think. Yeah, I was eight, because two years later I graduated the academy. _ She stopped for a moment, then continued to herself.

_I was passing by on the bridge, and I saw some of the teachers leaving. I think it was…whoever Sasuke's sensei was, I forget his name…Kurenai…and some guy in green spandex. Then I saw Dad and Kisame, and they confused me, because I hadn't seen them before. _ The memory was so clear now to Elva, it almost shocked her.

For a moment she was in her own little world, and Konohamaru wasn't even there in front of her. _Before they left…they passed by me, and I followed them. …wow, that was stupid of me. They could've killed me if they wanted to. But Kisame stopped first, I think. I asked him who he was, but I don't think he answered. Then Dad turned around, and…I saw his eyes._

All of a sudden, her vision blurred, flashing red. She covered her eyes, groaning as her eyes stung afterward. She clenched her teeth and waited impatiently for the feeling to pass. _What was that?_ she wondered to herself. Or so she thought.

"What was what?" Konohamaru asked, his voice suddenly full of concern. She could feel another hand, this time on her shoulder. She didn't flinch this time, as she half expected it. But she realized just how insane she probably seemed, all of a sudden acting like she was having a stroke or hallucination or something.

"N-Nothing," she forced out, grimacing when the sound caused her head to start to pound – suddenly the pain wasn't in her eyes. It was in her head. That scared her. She brought her hands from her eyes, blinking in the sunlight. She looked at Konohamaru. "Nothing," she repeated, shaking her head. "I'm fine."

Unconvinced, Konohamaru shook his head, frowning. "No, you don't look well. I'm going to take you home." It wasn't even a question. He just said he was going to. Even in her state, it ticked Elva off.

"No, you're not," she insisted, backing away from him and toward the river. "We came here to go swimming, so _I am going swimming_!" She put extra emphasis on the last few words, careful not to let herself shout them.

Konohamaru watched her carefully for a heavy moment, then sighed, giving up. "Okay. But if anything happens again, you're going home," he threatened, following her toward the water.

"Fair enough," she mumbled allowed. She slipped into the water as quickly as she could, her self-consciousness suddenly resurfacing. Suddenly, as Konohamaru got in beside her, a thought occurred to her. _Wait. I was so stupidly consumed in my own thoughts, I forgot that Konohamaru was _shirtless _right in front of me?!_

Realizing this, she yelled at herself mentally, crossing her arms and proceeding to sulk when she noted that the water was too dark for her to see anything underneath it. She and Konohamaru were already shoulder deep in water.

Konohamaru had to laugh at her new stance. "What's up now?" he asked, chuckling.

"Nothing," she growled, resisting the urge to scowl at Konohamaru. She looked away from him, at the water pointedly, hoping to drop the question that simply. Of course, it didn't work. Konohamaru was at her side instantly, pulling her toward him.

"Come on." He pretended to plea, still laughing. "What's wrong?" It bothered Elva that she could hear another emotion besides the humor. He really was genuinely concerned.

_Too serious_, she thought to herself, twisting around to face him. She smiled up at him. "Nothing," she insisted quietly. "Really." When he didn't seem convinced, she laughed, adding, "It's really stupid. You'd think I was an idiot."

"Of course I wouldn't," he replied, leaning his head down slightly, smirking. As Elva grew aware of how close their faces were, she also was suddenly aware of how short she was compared to him.

She could use that. "I'm just really, really short," she said, the lie easy. It wasn't that much of a lie, anyway – she _was_ short compared to him.

Lucky for her, he believed that. She would be saved from more embarrassment, at least for now. "No, you're not," he responded, although he chuckled as he said it. With one hand, he brushed a piece of stray hair to the side of her face, then running his hand along the side of Elva's face, to her chin.

It was in that moment that Elva realized just how much she wanted to kiss him. Luckily, he seemed to be on the right track. He lifted her chin, leaning his face closer to hers. It was too slow for Elva, and she cleared the distance, kissing him fiercely.

Her eyes seemed to close automatically, and her arms went around the back of his neck, keeping him close to her. Elva could have sworn she felt Konohamaru smirk underneath the kiss, but just at that moment he wrapped his arms around her waist, distracting her.

Suddenly, her hands grabbed the back of his neck, pulling him as close as she could. She could feel her lungs deflating, but she didn't care. She needed air, but she wanted Konohamaru more. Just as her lungs started burning, and she was about to pull away, another bright flash of red clouded her vision.

She broke away immediately, gasping in air, cringing away in pain. Konohamaru loosened his grip on her waist, but still kept her close to him, worried. He didn't say anything, only watching her carefully, trying to figure out what was going on.

This time, the pain was much worse than the first time. Strangely, she was suddenly filled with a feeling of disgust toward Konohamaru, even though just moments before she could think of nothing but him.

Again, she felt his arms on her waist, but instead of feeling comforted by it, she just wanted away from them, from _him_. "Stop it," she groaned, backing away from him with her hands still over her eyes.

"Stop what?" Konohamaru asked, sounding concerned. He sounded like he wasn't sure if she was talking to him or to something else.

When the anger at his words hit her, the intense pain fell into the back of her conscious for a moment. Her hands fell to her sides, leaving her to glare at Konohamaru. "_Stop what_?" she repeated, genuinely pissed. "Are you seriously that stupid, Konohamaru?" She felt her anger flare again when she said his name. "What, you think I'm schizophrenic or something? You think I'm crazy, don't you? No. I was talking to _you_."

Konohamaru stared at her, slightly in shock from her sudden personality change. "I…_I_ have to stop it? And what exactly do I have to stop, Elva?" he asked, his words beginning to make himself angry, too.

"I meant to say _don't touch me_, it just came out wrong," Elva shot, still glaring at him. The pain in her head was now just a dull throb. "I was obviously in pain a minute ago, and what did you do? Absolutely nothing. You didn't ask if I was all right. You didn't offer to take me home."

"You didn't pull away from me because, even though I was obviously in pain, you still wanted to kiss me. That's probably not all you wanted to do with me, is it? Is that really all I am to you, Konohamaru?" Another sudden burst of anger again. "Just another girl you can have sex with?"

The weirdest sensation suddenly came over Elva. Sure, she was angry at Konohamaru, she felt that…but as the pain left, it almost left with her a certain clarity. She felt almost like she was repeating something someone who was right next to her was saying. _What's wrong with me?_ she wondered to herself, scared.

Realizing this, she replayed in her mind what she had really just said to Konohamaru, and cringed inwardly, looking at him. Of course, he looked mad, furious even, but he was silent. After what seemed like forever, he sighed. "Go home, Elva," he muttered, sounding defeated. "You're not well. I'll talk to you in a day or two."

_I'm _ not_ well,_ Elva thought to herself, staring at him for a long moment before averting her gaze and heading out of the water. She grabbed her towel and wrapped it around her, resisting the urge to turn back toward Konohamaru and say something. All anger she had just felt for him was gone. The sudden changes in emotion had startled her, leaving her in her current state of fear.

She started off for home, refusing to let herself dare a glance behind her until Konohamaru was out of sight. Konoha flashed before her, and she was home in an instant. She went straight upstairs and into her apartment, locking the door behind her.

After going into her bedroom and slipping into comfortable pajamas, Elva fell back onto the bed, pulling herself into a curled ball. She knew there were tears there, to cry, but she couldn't make herself cry, even as miserable as she felt right then. She could only think one thing, over and over, that only made her even more miserable.

_Why can nothing ever go right?_

**Author's Note:**

**_The Commander_** Lol, no thanks! I'm not telling anyone what my idea for a third story is, 'cause they'd think it was soooo stupid. Augh…still, I can't stop my imagination. I have even more chapter ideas than I do for this story right now…how sad. It's just…so…much more…FUN to have a story with what I'm thinking of…but I'd probably lose, like, half of the people who read that. Which is…what, you, Sasori-Chibi, AliKatNyah, and Valbino? HAHA. How sad…

_**Sasori-Chibi **_ Lol, you think up ideas for my story while your bored? Or imagine stuff…whatever you said, lol. I'm trying my hardest to remember these reviews, as you can tell. Lol…I have no idea why I don't just open up the internet and look them up…aw, well. But what are your ideas, lol? I wanna know if you're close! But…eh…Sasuke/Kisame walking in? I can neither confirm nor deny that xP

_**AliKatNyah **_ Haha, yes. Yes, you would hate it if I wrote a third story. If you knew…if only you knew, lol. But, I mean, really…who DOESN'T burst out in laughter when they read "Dinosaurs are sexy?" I mean…they ARE, I wasn't lying, but…yeah. Haha…oooh, dinosaurs… xD

**Okay, so guess what? (You're not gonna care, haha.) I'M A FRESHMAN. Haha, I was so hyper yesterday when I was getting ready to go to my first football game that I put a vid up on YouTube of me singing "A Thousand Miles" and fast-forwarding it! Lol, it's soo much fun to listen to.**

**But…wow. I thought I would die from getting lost so much in the first week of high school…but…I DIDN'T. Ohmygawd, I know!! I, who am just as clumsy/stupid/lost-prone as Elva, didn't get lost at a high school that has FOUR THOUSAND students!! That is…I can never find a certain staircase…luckily, whenever I have to use it (two or three in a day, so I SHOULD remember by now…) I have friends with me.**

**Oh, my gosh. I totally know what just crossed your mind. "SHE has FRIENDS?!" Lol, lol, I don't blame you. Not at all. That's what my sister always says xP**

**But, yeah…it's so funny, because I'm horrible with names. So all of these people that I used to be friends with from different middle schools/church/theater will come up to me and go "Hey, insertmynamehere!!" And I'm just like "HEY…………..what's…erm…up?" And then I listen veeery closely to people talking to them, too, in case I find their name in the conversation. Normally it works.**

**Yeah, anyway, I'll stop ranting now.**

**PLEASE REVIEW! YOU KNOW I LOVE YOU!**

**SO REVIEW!!**

**-Meri Umeko-**


	8. Libraries and Groceries

**Disclaimer:**

**I do not own **_**Naruto.**_** It was created by and belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

_Elva was in the forest alone. She wasn't sure where she was, but the place looked familiar enough. Maybe it was somewhere outside of Konoha? At Akatsuki? She couldn't put her finger on it. All she could say for sure was that she was alone. Or so she thought._

"_I'm going to kill him."_

_Elva's body went rigid, the voice sending shivers down her spine. It scared her more than anything, but not because she recognized it. Not exactly. She knew that she knew the voice from somewhere, but she hadn't heard it in forever. That only left one option._

_Itachi stepped out of the shadows in front of her, grinning darkly. "The next time I see you with him, I'm going to ruin him." It was clear enough who he was talking about, as it is in most dreams, but Elva was still too shaken to register that fact._

"…_you can't do that," she said slowly, frowning. "You're dead."_

_Itachi smirked, eyes glinting. "Am I really?" A sudden wave of pain hit Elva, and her eyes flashed bright red. She cried out in pain, grabbing her eyes. While the first wave began to fade, he spoke again. "I'm going to kill him, Elva. You can't stop me."_

_Elva shook her head, still recovering. Then, a harder wave hit her, her knees buckling. She collapsed on the forest floor, the impact knocking the wind out of her. Her eyes burned, the red was so bright. Just when she thought it couldn't be worse, it faded, just like the first. "…tell me you hate him, Elva, and I might not kill him."_

"_Stop it," Elva groaned, but she regretted letting that slip instantly. A last wave of pain, more unbearable than the first two combined invaded her system. The red was so bright in her eyes she thought she would go blind, and her entire body felt like it was on fire. After what seemed like forever, it was gone._

_Seconds, minutes passed, until finally Itachi spoke again. "Well?" he asked, sneering._

"_I hate him," Elva breathed out, unable to think anything else. _

Elva sat up in bed, gasping for air. She clutched at her blankets, head reeling. Unable to comprehend what had just gone on in her head, she forced herself up, heading for the kitchen. As she prepared a cup of instant ramen, she reviewed as much of the dream as she could, in bits and pieces.

"For starters," she mumbled to herself, relieved to hear her own voice finally, "my dad's dead." She felt some guilt in that statement, but went on. "So I don't have to worry about that dream possibly being real. It could be Sasuke messing with me, but…no, he wouldn't do that. It's just a nightmare. Some stupid explanation I made up after yesterday's fiasco."

By now, the microwave was beeping. She opened the small oven's door, taking out the cup of now-heated ramen. She sighed, frowning. "I'm not even hungry anymore," she whined to herself, pushing it away from her. Sighing again, she went back into her bedroom.

She pulled on an old pair of faded jeans and a plain white tee-shirt. She prayed she wouldn't run into Moegi on her way to Konohamaru's. She could just imagine how Moegi would react to Elva's little fashion disaster. It did slow down Elva for a moment, though, when she ran backwards through her thoughts, realizing that, without knowing it, she had subconsciously already decided where she was going. Konohamaru's.

Just the thought sent a shiver of excitement up her spine. She could hardly imagine how she would act when she saw him. She was only slightly worried that what had happened yesterday would still be bothering him. If it was, she'd just give him space. It wouldn't kill her to do that, after all.

She pulled her hair into a sloppy bun high up on her head, brushed through her bangs once, and slipped on red flip flops, now ready to leave the apartment. She grabbed her keys, walked out the door, and locked it, stuffing the keys into her pocket. She cleared the stairs easily, and was in the lobby in no time.

Then she stopped. There at the counter was Moegi and Udon, chatting casually together. Udon was behind the desk working, and Moegi was leaning over from the visitor's side. Elva couldn't hear what they were talking about, and she didn't want to. She started for the exit at a brisk pace, wanting to get out before they could see her.

Of course, that just couldn't happen for her. "Oi!" Moegi called out, rushing forward to grab Elva's shoulder to stop her. For a split second Elva assumed it was about her clothes that Moegi looked so urgent, then she stopped to read her facial expression more. A feeling of worry engulfed her. "…Elva, where are you going?" the other girl asked then, slowly, suspiciously.

"Just for a walk," Elva lied smoothly, frowning innocently at Moegi. "Why? Did you want to get breakfast out or something?" She smiled lightly, wondering if she was pushing it. "I'd love to, but I needed to run by the library."

"Oh." Moegi was silent for a minute then, obviously trying to think of what to say next. After a glance back at Udon, she looked back at Elva, smiling evenly. "Well, have a good time. We'll see you later?"

Elva nodded, relieved. "Of course," she replied, smiling back easily. "See you!" And she was out the door in a hurry, but trying not to seem too much so. It was only after she was halfway down the block that she realized she had no idea where Konohamaru's house was. After all, she had been blindfolded the only time she'd been there!

Elva would have naturally spent hours searching through Konoha, asking everyone where it was, when she spotted someone who could easily help her. Kurenai was just walking out of a shop, carrying several shopping bags in her arms. Elva quickly ran over, smiling brightly. "Hey!" she greeted the woman cheerfully, then realized she probably didn't know who she was.

Indeed, Kurenai just looked confused. "…hello," she responded, smiling, obviously trying to be kind through her confusion. After a few awkward moments, her smile faltered, and she spoke again. "I'm sorry, but you are…?"

"Oh, I'm just a friend of Konohamaru's," Elva said. When Kurenai didn't look convinced, she paused, then added, "Elva." She winced when she saw understanding flash across Kurenai's face, along with worry.

"Look, Elva," she began, not quite knowing what to say. "I feel bad for saying this – you seem like a nice girl – but I don't think Konohamaru wants to see you right now. Or…what I mean is…" A brief flash of nervousness crossed her features before she controlled them. "Really, he doesn't want to see _anyone_. Not right now, really."

"Oh." Elva pretended to let the words sink in, nodding solemnly. She didn't care if Konohamaru didn't want to see her – she _needed_ to see him. "Well…I just had to drop off something for him. He needed a book from the library, and I was just running over to get it for him."

Kurenai seemed convinced enough so far, so Elva continued. "I was just heading to the library now," she said, pleased that she could at least connect her lies to Kurenai and Moegi, "but I kind of forgot where you lived." She flashed an embarrassed smile, maybe playing it up a bit too much. "I'm sorry, but…could you point me in the right direction?" After a moment, she put in, "Don't worry. I won't disturb him. I'll just drop it through the mail slot of something."

Kurenai seemed reluctant, but looked like she didn't want to risk stopping Elva in case it was true. "…all right," she gave in. "Once you get to the library, I think it's…the third street to the right, and then halfway down the street you look to the left and we're number 67." When she smiled warmly at Elva and began away, Elva stopped her.

"Thanks." She smiled back, then motioned to the large bags in her arms. "Do you want me to take them? I can drop them off on the steps to your house, if you want. It doesn't look like you're done shopping yet."

"…thank you," Kurenai responded slowly, unsure of how else to respond. "That's very…kind of you." After a few more words were exchanged, Elva had the bags, and was heading for the library.

Of course, she had no real interest in going there. She just had to get there first in order to follow Kurenai's directions. It took an extra few minutes, as Elva couldn't find the library, but soon enough she was outside of number 67. She set down one of the bags to free a hand, tentatively knocking on the door.

It was only then that Elva heard the struggle going on inside of the house. She heard running, and then suddenly, a voice shouting, "_Come back here, Toru_!" Her heart fluttered. That had to be Konohamaru. After a moment, she heard a more pleading sentence from him. "Come on. If your mom's at the door, she'll kill me!"

"It's not," Elva said loudly, hoping the sound would carry through the door. Then she stopped, yelling at herself mentally. _What if he's still angry? What if he doesn't answer the door now? …if he tells Kurenai I came by without a book – because there never was one! – she'll never trust me again! Neither will Konohamaru…that would definitely suck, wouldn't—?_

Before she could finish her train of thought, the door swung open. Konohamaru stared down at her, eyes narrowed. Before she could make it too awkward for herself and stare back, she heard shuffling behind him. She tried to look around him – to _ignore_ him, which was hard – to see a young boy trying to run away. Konohamaru held on to his arm with ease, the boy's attempts useless.

Konohamaru didn't say anything, which just about drove Elva insane. The silence even slowly got to the boy – presumably Toru – and he stopped trying to get away, too, now staring at Elva. The two pairs of eyes burning holes in her was enough, and Elva forced a smile all of a sudden, picking up the other shopping bag and looking at Konohamaru.

"I, uh, ran into Kurenai outside my apartment building," she said slowly, unsure of what to say. "And…her hands were full, so…I offered to take them over here to you." For good measure, she waited a beat, then sheepishly added, "…I'm feeling better today."

"…I'll take those," he finally forced out, taking the bags in one hand, still holding Toru, and walking to the kitchen, leaving the door open. Hoping that was an invitation, Elva stepped inside, closing the door behind her. After a few awkward moments had passed, he called out to her in the hall. "Come on in."

Obedient, she slipped off her shoes and followed him into the kitchen. Toru was now standing, without Konohamaru holding onto him, strangely silent compared to what Elva had heard from the other side of the door. She smiled at him, hoping to seem friendly, and waved silently.

"He doesn't talk to people he doesn't like," Konohamaru informed her. He was facing away from her, loading all of the groceries into the cabinets they seemed to be assigned to. Elva couldn't help but notice that the words he had said seemed to have a double meaning.

"Why wouldn't he like me?" she asked, trying to make it clear that she wasn't really talking about Toru. She met Konohamaru at the counter, beginning to help him unpack the groceries without asking.

Konohamaru glanced at Toru, and to Elva's surprise he left the kitchen on command. The older boy then glanced at Elva from the corner of his eyes before returning to his work. "He…doesn't like people who have two personalities."

"What does he mean by that?" Elva asked, frowning up at Konohamaru now. She continued to load random things into random cabinets, hoping she was doing it right.

"He means," he began, "that he doesn't like people who one day seem to like him but the next act completely insane and insult him." Suddenly, then, Elva felt another hand on hers, taking a can of soup from her and placing it in a different cabinet.

"Sorry," she mumbled, distractedly fidgeting with some of her hair to hide the blush that had sprang into her cheeks. "Wasn't paying attention." She paused, clearing her throat, then started again. "Would it be all right with him if I…plead insanity?" she asked, looking to Konohamaru for approval.

At least he seemed amused. Elva could see the corners of his mouth curl up from where he stood, but then he seemed to sober himself. "It might be," he allowed. "But I doubt he would think you're really insane."

"Why not?" Elva reasoned, smirking now. She stopped what she was doing to focus all of her mind on Konohamaru. "Stranger things have happened, wouldn't you…_he_…agree?"

"Like what?" Konohamaru asked, meeting her gaze finally. For a moment Elva lost her train of thought, but then recovered it.

"L-Like…um…_he's_ talking to me right now even though he's probably pissed beyond belief at me?" she asked softly, raising an eyebrow. She couldn't believe she was being so to-the-point. If Konohamaru suddenly got angry because of her being stupid, she wouldn't know how to respond. Stupidity is stupidity, after all.

"Do you like me or not?" he suddenly asked, frowning at Elva. The question was so sudden it surprised Elva, but she tried not to let it show. Instead, she turned away for a moment, putting away some more cans and food while she thought of what might be suitable to say. Soon, though, Konohamaru was through with it. "Well?" he asked impatiently.

"I…" The words got caught in her throat, and Elva had to put down the can she had been putting away to focus. Not able to bring herself to look directly at Konohamaru, she settled for the counter. "Of course I like you," she said softly. "I'm just really…confused lately." Konohamaru was about to say something when she suddenly had the urge to look at him. He paused, expecting her to say something. "…nothing," Elva quickly said, blushing again.

After a second, he began. "I get how you can be confused," he said slowly, making sure Elva was focusing on him. "It can be easy to get confused when you have to keep up such a complicated lie all of the time, isn't it?"

Elva frowned. "What are you—?" She stopped short, her heart skipping a beat.

"_I mean, there has to be something you couldn't do in _Kumo_ that you want to do now you're back in Konoha."_

"That's my business," she said softly, furrowing her brow. She knew that she was admitting that she had been lying, but she didn't care. Konohamaru nodded silently, and for a split second she thought that he was going to drop it, then suddenly he sighed.

He looked so vulnerable all of a sudden, like it hurt him that he thought she didn't trust him. He looked at Elva in a way that…well, how Elva imagined she looked at Konohamaru whenever she was trying to get something from him. In that instant, she forcibly pulled herself out of it, biting her lip.

"It _is_ my business," she repeated, raising her eyebrows as Konohamaru straightened back up into a relaxed position. "And it's my choice whether or not to tell you. I…might. But I have to think about it." She was silent for a moment, then sighed. "I should…probably be going, too. You're aunt doesn't know I'm here, exactly."

"What, you lied to her?" Konohamaru laughed. "Oh, man, that's great, Elva. Did you say something stupid like 'oh, I was going to drop off something at Konohamaru's anyway, so I'll just take these bags off your hands and be on my way now?'" When Elva's blush confirmed it, he laughed. "Geez, Elva, she's not that dumb. You're lucky she let you come."

"…I guess I am," Elva allowed, frowning. Then she took a step away from Konohamaru, toward the hallway. "And I guess I should go. I mean, it looked like you were babysitting…Toru…and I don't want you to neglect him or anything." She forced a laugh. "I'll…see you later?"

Elva could never find out how Konohamaru snuck up on her so fast, suddenly being so close to her she couldn't have ever imagined it possible. He smirked softly, breathing deeply. "…definitely," he finally said, and it seemed like he felt the same as Elva, like he had wanted to see her all along, he just didn't know how to act. It made Elva feel…_special_.

That thought in her mind, she smiled. "Good," she responded, and without thinking she leaned up on her toes and kissed him lightly, then falling back to the ground. She smiled again, opening the door with one hand and waving with the other. "Bye."

It wasn't until she closed the door and breathed a sigh of relief that the flash of red and pain struck.

**Author's Note:**

**_The Commander_** Ooh, a junior? Impressive, lol! My football game was Friday, too! Lol…I dunno, what DID I do to Elva? It amused me how many people seem to think I'm giving her the Sharingan…you do, too, if I remember correctly. Haha. That was my plan…naw, lol. Huh…how WILL Sasuke react?

_**Sasori-Chibi **_ I dunno. IS it time for her Sharingan? YOU TELL ME. Never mind…haha. Lol, I imagine endings to stories aaaall the time, and then I'm angry when they don't happen, lol! I have thousands of different ideas for the end of the story, even though I know how I'm ending it already. I mean…it's SO much fun, but so many ways would just be…well…I dunno. Unsuitable? Haha.

_**Miso-Uzumaki-Namikaze **_ YAY, you reviewed to TWO chapters. You get a reward…or, erm, you WOULD if I had one, lol. For chapter five…I know! I love the idea of Konohamaru and Elva. Lol, wanna know how pathetic I am? You know how there are names for pairings, like NaruHina and ItaSasu (YES, I WENT THERE xD)? I came up with KonoElva xPPP Naw…it sucks, eh? And chapter six…I don't know. DID she saw Akatsuki out loud? YOU TELL MEH.

**Oh. My. GAWD. Not being paranoid (no, I'm not, lol, I just like saying – or typing – that word), but I'm about to file two missing person reports. Not really…haha. I miss you, Valbino…lawl, lawl, not to be a stalker. Your reviews always make me laugh xD But, naw, AliKatNyah, it's only been two days. Twenty-four more hours 'til I can legally file a report. Shucks…lmao!**

**AAAANYWAYS…haha, today I went to this carnival…esque…thing. Haha, if I told you what it's called, ANYONE with a brain would know where I lived. So I'll refrain from…well…there ARE like nine million people in the city alone…so I've heard…no…NO…it's nine million in the city AND the surrounding suburbs.**

**So you can't find me, NYANYA.**

**Anyway…I went to Navy Pier today with my friends. OHMYGAWD, you can stalk me now…no, no…I pray, please don't. Restrain yourselves. If I do something you hate, and you happen to be on vacation in Chicago when you read it…I've been warned. Lol…**

**But really. HOW EXACTLY ARE YOU GONNA FIND ME? You have a 1 / 9,000,000 of a chance, so GOOD LUCK. Ew. That's too hard to say. "You have a one nine millionth of a chance." How about…OOH. You have a 1 / 1,000,000 of a chance (TIMES NINE). I like that better…more…I dunno, I just like it.**

**Anyway, PLEASE REVIEW, PEOPLE. **

**GOSH DARN YOU.**

**Augh. My mom "forbids" me from saying Goddamn. BUT GUESS WHAT, MOM? I just did…ooh. I don't CARE. I mean…yes…I do…O Lord, DON'T SMITE ME.**

**Lol…**_**Bruce Almighty**_**… "SMITE ME, O MIGHTY SMITER!!"**

**Anywaaaaays…**

**REVIEW. I'M LOSING LUUUURVE.**

**-Meri Umeko-**


	9. World's Worst Babysitter

**Disclaimer:**

**I do not own **_**Naruto.**_** It was created by and belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

"Thanks for letting me come over," Elva said, cautiously glancing around Konohamaru to see if they were alone. When she didn't see or hear anyone, she smiled up at him. "Hey," she added after a moment had passed, obviously pleased.

Konohamaru chuckled, closing the door. He was picking up on her mood, but it wouldn't last for too long. "Now, now, don't get excited," he chided. "Kurenai's upstairs with Toru." When Elva sighed, he laughed. "She likes you. Don't worry."

Elva rolled her eyes, then raised an eyebrow at Konohamaru. "Everyone likes me," she informed him sarcastically. "I'm just _that_ cool." Then as a thought crossed her mind, she frowned. "Can she hear us?" she suddenly asked, her voice lowered.

"No," Konohamaru whispered back mockingly, smirking. When Elva smiled at this, he just laughed again. "What is with you today? You're so…"

"In a good mood?" she asked. "I know, I am." Why wouldn't she be? She was right in front of Konohamaru, and so far no pain! She smiled brightly at him, proud, and started walking down the hallway toward the kitchen. Suddenly, though, Konohamaru was behind her, taking hold of her shoulders and steering her in a different direction.

"Where are we going?" Elva asked, half-whining, half going along with it. She heard Konohamaru chuckle from behind her, and she sighed melodramatically. "Seriously, even with you, I'm going to get lost. That's just a fact of life."

But they had already reached their destination. Konohamaru cut in front of her now, opening a door for her. Elva stepped in, looking around. She assumed it was Konohamaru's room by its appearance. The walls were a tan color. _Boring,_ Elva mused to herself, but would never in a million years say that to his face. Covering the walls, though, were probably hundreds of posters of bands and movies, just random things, and also pictures.

Some of them were of Konohamaru when he was a baby – and he was _such_ a cute baby! – and some were of Elva's previous memories of him, as a ten-year-old. There were a few photos from graduation, with Konohamaru glaring at whoever was holding the camera, obviously trying to tell them to stop taking pictures. There was a picture, too, of his team – his sensei (whoever that was), Moegi, Udon, and him. It looked like it had been taken not long after graduation – all three of their new Konohagakure headbands were all scratch-free.

Elva couldn't help but reminisce for a moment, thinking back to her days at the academy, and she suddenly paused, one thought unable to escape her mind. Slowly, frowning, she turned to Konohamaru, who had been watching her carefully. "Whatever happened to Sanyu and Haru?" she asked after a brief silence, the names of her teammates suddenly coming back into her mind.

"Why?" he asked, guarded, and Elva immediately knew there was something more than a simple answer. Something had happened, she could tell, but she gathered from Konohamaru's careful expression that he wasn't about to tell her.

"No reason," she answered smoothly, shrugging. "Just wondering." She smiled at him, then took a step toward his desk, noticing a leather-bound book on it. She glanced mischievously back at him, then grabbed it without another word. "What's this?"

By his reaction, her guess that it was his diary was correct. He immediately stiffened. "That's none of your business," he said softly, trying to hide the tension in his voice. Of course, that just made Elva want to make it her business.

She sat down nonchalantly in a chair, opening to the first page. Just as she started to read, though, Konohamaru grabbed the book from her, holding it behind his back. She pouted instantly, crossing her arms across her chest. "No fair. If you wanted to read _my diary_, I'd let you." She glanced at him, to see if that had any effect on him.

He seemed to force a laugh. "I'm sure you would," he muttered. Then he went and sat on his bed, and all of a sudden the book was out of sight. Immediately catching Elva's attention, she got up from her chair and tried to see over Konohamaru. When he sat up straighter, she sighed, hands on her hips.

"Come on. I just want to read it," she whined, sticking out her lower lip childishly.

"No," Konohamaru corrected her, smirking. "You just want to see if I wrote anything about you."

"What's the difference?" Elva argued, and in an instant she was sitting next to Konohamaru, leaning back to see what he was hiding behind him. Nothing. She frowned, then leaned against him. He stiffened slightly, looking at her, confused. Ignoring him, she leaned again, harder this time. He remained confused. Suddenly, she pushed him over, and over he went, revealing the journal. She smiled triumphantly, grabbing it and jumping up from the bed.

When he looked up at her with a bewildered expression, she raised an eyebrow at him. "What? Am I really as dumb as I look?" she asked, having to laugh at the shock in his face. Smirking, she ignored him, turning away and flipping open the book again. Just like the first time, though, she was interrupted.

"Actually, yes," she heard a voice suddenly behind her, and Konohamaru reached around her to try to get the book. When Elva held on to it closer, holding it to her chest, he literally _lifted_ her – despite how much Elva kicked and tried to get away – and dropped her on the bed.

When she started to jump up, he pushed her back down, chuckling. "There's no way you'll win this," he pointed out, smirking from above her. At that, he started to pry the book from her, quite effectively, even though it took a few tries. Eventually Elva relinquished it, but unwillingly.

Defeated, she sat up, folding her arms and commencing to pout again. "That's not fair," she muttered, avoiding his eyes. "You know I'm not that strong." Still, her mind was swimming, replaying what had just happened. She couldn't help but blush, and Konohamaru noticed immediately.

He laughed again, amused by her reaction. Still smiling, he took her chin and turned her head his way, leaning in. He kissed her softly, but as soon as Elva realized what he was doing she raised the intensity, turning her whole body to him, kissing him back. As the kiss slowly gained intensity, Konohamaru subconsciously took her by the waist, pulling her closer to him. In turn, Elva held his face in her hands, keeping him glued to her.

If Elva could have had what she wanted, the kiss would have gone on forever. But of course, something had to ruin it. All of a sudden she heard someone clear their throat, and immediately she pulled apart. What embarrassed her more than the fact that somebody had just walked in on them was the fact that Konohamaru was still holding her, even though he was already looking over her shoulder at the person.

"Am I interrupting something?" The voice was dry, almost amused, but obviously disproving. And it was Kurenai. Elva's heart thudded in her chest, her blush once again springing to her cheeks.

She could see Konohamaru try to smile at her in her peripheral vision. "Do you really want the answer?" he joked. Something in her look must have sobered him, because he immediately moved away from Elva, unwrapping his arms from her waist. She couldn't believe how suddenly she felt exposed, but also obliged to face Kurenai. She did so unwillingly.

"So…you're leaving now?" Konohamaru asked, breaking the sudden silence that had moved in on the small room. "Where's Toru?"

"Up in his room," she responded, eyes narrowed. "But that doesn't mean you still don't have to watch him. I'll be back in an hour or so. If he's gotten into any trouble by the time I've gotten home, you can't have _her_ over while you baby-sit again."

Luckily, she left at that. Elva exhaled slowly, realizing for the first time that she had been holding in a breath, too surprised and embarrassed to do anything else. As Kurenai's words dawned on her, she looked at Konohamaru, frowning. "…you didn't tell me we're babysitting Toru." She didn't sound angry, but maybe a little annoyed.

"Yeah," Konohamaru laughed, smiling. "Sorry about that."

Elva sighed, rocking to her feet and putting her hands on her lips, rolling her eyes. "You know, Konohamaru…if one day you're murdered and people suspect me, _don't_ be surprised. Because odds are I did it." She sounded serious, but her eyes were playful. She laughed, offering him her hands, and pulled him from the bed. Then she flexed one arm for him, raising an eyebrow. "See? Not _that_ weak, eh?"

He smirked, chuckling under his breath. Then he was leaning in to kiss her again. Elva felt the blood rushing to her cheeks, and to make it worse another voice spoke up, although this time it wasn't really interrupting anything. But it was still embarrassing, if not more so.

"Konohamaru and Elva kissing in a tree!" Toru started singing, doing an adorable little jig in the doorway to his song. "K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes baby, then comes—"

"I'm going to hurt him," Elva suddenly growled under her breath, glaring at the little boy. Apparently that was enough to silence him, and he ran away without another word. Then she laughed, looking at Konohamaru. "Does he know he's singing that song wrong?"

He shrugged, grinning widely. "I don't know. I don't know where he learned that song, either…probably the television. He learns everything from that." He paused, then frowned. "In fact…I wonder if Kurenai's bothered to put locks on some of the channels…"

Smirking mischievously, he left the room silently, leaving Elva confused. She blinked after him, then ran to catch up with him. "Wait…locks…what? T.V.s can be locked?" When he turned to look at her as if she were insane, she cleared her throat, chuckling. "I, uh…haven't ever really…watched…T.V. Out of school, I mean," she then added as an afterthought.

Konohamaru stared at her long and hard, then shrugged. "Explains enough," he muttered, and was gone again. Elva stared at where he had just disappeared, then followed him through to the living room.

"Excuse me?" she asked, hands on her hips again. "That explains _what_, exactly, Konohamaru?" She then saw Toru sitting on the couch, turning to face her, eyes wide with fear. She was confused for a second, then laughed, smiling at him. "It's okay. I'm not really going to hurt you."

After a moment in silence, she frowned. "Really," she insisted.

"It's not helping, Elva," Konohamaru said, sitting on the couch next to Toru. "He's going to be afraid of you. Forever." Toru nodded, slowly turning back around to watch the now-on T.V. When Elva scoffed softly, Konohamaru glanced back at her. "Kidding. Come here, sit down."

As she sat down, Toru leaned over and whispered something to Konohamaru, and he nodded to him, smirking. Toru suddenly leaned forward, looking at Elva, smiling widely. "I like you now," he informed her, giggling.

"Oh." Elva, confused, watched him for a moment, then smiled back. "Um…o-okay. Thanks." She paused, then added, "I, uh…like you, too."

Just as soon as he was smiling at her, the little boy was gone, eyes glued to the T.V. instantly. Konohamaru was flipping through the channels with the remote, and then suddenly he stopped. "Yes!" Toru cried triumphantly punching the air. "My favorite channel!"

Konohamaru glanced down at the boy, smirking, before he promptly clicked the "lock" button on the remote. All of a sudden the screen went blank. Toru jumped up, gaping at the screen. "B-But…" He couldn't seem to be able to register what had happened. "It's…gone? Why?"

"You're not allowed to watch that anymore," Konohamaru informed him, looking quite pleased with himself. Then Toru rounded on him, glaring at him.

"But that's not _fair_," he shouted. "You get to watch whatever _you_ want." Elva looked at Konohamaru, about to ask him why he wasn't unlocking the channel, when Toru suddenly jumped on him, punching him as hard as he could. "_Change it back!_" He screamed at the top of his lungs, completely consumed by his tantrum.

Elva stared, wide-eyed, surprised that such a small child could be so…insane. "U-Um…" she began tentatively, then stopped abruptly. It was as if the sudden fight was a sort of trigger, sending an eruption of pain exploding through her head, everything tinting red. She gasped, grabbing the sides of her head, almost like she was worried her head would literally split open. She crouched over into a fetal position, trying to wait out the pain.

She never heard when Toru stopped shouting, the pain was so consuming. She had shut her eyes, too, so it's not like she could've seen him stop, either. All of a sudden she felt a hand on her shoulder, and the pain that had been starting to fade flared again, causing her to cry out. Elva could feel herself shaking, could feel herself wanting, begging herself to just give up.

Slowly, though, after what seemed like forever the pain began to back off, and Elva let her hands fall into her lap, eyes forced open. The red tint was gone, to her relief, and she struggled to sit back up, the energy she had felt earlier completely depleted. She was aware of Konohamaru and Toru staring at her, waiting. She could only imagine what she must have looked like only seconds before.

She was afraid to look at Konohamaru – terrified, really – because she didn't want to have the same reaction as last time. She didn't want to say something she would regret, not after they had made up. Sure, she could feel anger, and frustration, but at herself. That was better, at least, right?

Not trusting herself to dare a look, Elva focused on her hands, trying to keep them from shaking. "I'm sorry," she said quietly, wincing when her voice broke awkwardly halfway through the phrase. When she heard Konohamaru shifting from beside her, she jumped to her feet, almost falling back down when the blood rushing to her head shocked her. "…I have to go," she forced out, going for the door as fast as her dazed state would let her.

She almost had the door opened when Konohamaru pushed it shut, stopping Elva. She sighed, reluctantly turning to face him before he could make her do it. "Really," he breathed, staring hard at Elva. She refused to meet him eyes. "Could you be more inconsistent?"

"I'm sorry," she repeated, a bit more forcefully this time. He seemed to remember then what had happened right before she had tried to leave, when Toru had thrown a fit.

"…are you okay?" he asked in a gentler voice, making a move to reach for her. Elva backed away, and he sighed, folding his arms across his chest. "Fine."

Then Elva became aware of Toru standing in the doorway, staring up at her, waiting for her to say something. Elva looked at Konohamaru, frowning. "Could we…talk…in private?" she asked slowly, hoping her point was clear enough.

Toru was gone before Konohamaru even had to say anything to him, the glare he started with having been enough. Elva started back toward the living room, but Konohamaru stopped her, pulling her down the hallway back into his room. He shut the door behind them both, and sat down across from Elva in a chair.

Elva scooted back on the bed, hugging her knees to her chest. "Um…do you…remember when you asked me how I kept up a really, really complicated lie?" she asked slowly, not having to glance up to see if he had nodded. Of course he had. "Well…do you want to know what the lie _is_?"

She didn't need confirmation for this question, but she'd feel less guilty if she did. She glanced up just in time to catch a nod from Konohamaru, and immediately after her eyes fell back down to the floor. "It's a long story," she said softly, frowning.

She collected her thoughts first, taking a minute or two to do that. She decided what to tell him, what to keep for herself. Then she started. She started off the day they had all graduated the academy, and what had happened when Elva had gone into her apartment by herself. She went on to explain everything that happened after that up until Itachi's death.

When her voice caught on that last sentence, she had to pause. She could have sworn she felt a sudden jab of pain when she finished, but ignored it. For a second she could hear Konohamaru getting ready to say something, but to prevent further talk on the subject, she continued on with her planned speech. She skipped her depression, just saying she stayed at Akatsuki until she finally decided she wanted to leave. She left out the part about Sasuke bringing her there – in her version of the story, she had succeeded in running away. No one knew where she was now. She thought that was easier than the whole story.

When she had finished, she looked at Konohamaru, falling silent. She hoped he would believe what she told him – after all, it was Elva telling the story. How could she possibly come up with something so complex? Slowly, though, Konohamaru nodded. "Okay," he said.

Elva felt so rotten now. She felt like she had sold herself just to make Konohamaru happy – and that's honestly why she had told him, anyway. She could only hear Sasuke's words in her mind. _"You can't trust anyone." _He had been begging her not to tell anyone. He had thought she would do it, anyway. And he was right. Elva felt another stab of pain, and she winced.

"I really should go, though," she then repeated, in a defeated voice.

He frowned. "Really?" he asked. "I don't want you to go. You don't have to."

"I know, but I _want_ to. I need the day for myself," Elva said slowly, trying to convince herself of it. Even as she said it, her heart ached for her to be closer to Konohamaru somehow, and another, stronger stab of pain invaded her system.

"…if you're sure," Konohamaru then allowed, eyes narrowing. "You just really don't seem well enough to go home by yourself."

"Well, fine," Elva suddenly snapped. "Walk me home, then."

"I would, but Toru's—" Konohamaru was cut off by the front door opening, and Kurenai calling out into the house. Less than a second after, Toru answered. "…never mind. She's home. Are you sure you want to go?"

"Yes," Elva asserted, standing up. "I'm sure. I need to."

They were out of the house within a minute, heading toward Elva's apartment building. Elva didn't talk most of way, not knowing what to say. She had to keep on fighting down the urge to say something to Konohamaru that would give away the fact that she really did want to spend the day with him. But she needed time to think.

Too soon they were at her door. Elva sighed, and for the first time a strange thought ran across her mind. _Does Konohamaru feel the same way?_ she suddenly thought, but she couldn't imagine asking him. She was silent for a moment, then looked at him, smiling. "Thanks," she said quietly.

Konohamaru seemed a bit put off guard by the question, but he still returned the smile. "…no problem," he responded, laughing. Then, without any other notice, he bent down, kissing Elva hard. It was unexpected, but it definitely wasn't unwanted. Elva kissed him back, of course, but didn't want to make it last too long. The longer, the harder it would be for Elva to say good-bye to him.

When they finally broke apart, Elva was breathless. She was completely thoughtless, any of her former ideas of good-byes gone. She blinked at Konohamaru unable to do anything else. Then her hands fumbled for her keys, and she tore her eyes from his, turning to the door and unlocking it. Unable to bear looking back at him one last time, she ripped open the door and slammed it behind her.

_This can't be healthy._

**Author's Note:**

**_The Commander_** Haha, that's where everyone lives these days, eh? Well…still…I don't know. Do YOU think she has the Sharingan? Or what do you think is happening to her? LOL. When I read the parentheses (GHOSTBUSTERS!!), I started laughing sooo hard. When there's something strange in your neighborhood? Who you gonna call? GHOSTBUSTERS. Haha…classic, such a classic…

_**Sasori-Chibi **_ Lawl, glad you're glad Itachi's half-back. Lol. Luck…it's a funny thing, eh? I have the worst luck in the world, I SWEAR. I mean…so this one day a week ago (oddly specific…lol!) my locker wasn't jammed for the first time, and I was HAPPEE. And so I told my friend, and she went to her locker, and guess what? IT WAS JAMMED. And so were aaaaall of my other friends' lockers. Luckeeee meh.

_**AliKatNyah **_ It's FINE, lol. You're not obliged to review to all chappies, not at all. But of COURSE I'd file a missing person's report for you!! Haha…naw, it would just be like "Name: …AliKatNyah? Location: UM…? Age: …I DON'T KNOW, OKAY?" Yeah…that would be an interesting story to tell the police. As you may have guessed by now, I am REALLY easily amused, and when I read "le gasp Itachi is in her mind, jackin up her dreamz! And ish she getting da Sharingan?!" you have NO IDEA how much I laughed.

**Oh. My. GAWD. (Yeah, I said that last A/N, too. Left it here JUUUST to annoy some people!) But, yeah…anyways…do you want to hear about my awesome chorus teacher? OF COURSE YOU DO. I know y'all lurve hearing me rant about pointless stuff, eh??**

**So anyway, the first day we have chorus, guess what she says? "Hey, I have ADD and OCD." Haha. And she'll make us do random, YET HELPFUL FOR OUR VOICES, little bitty things because (a) They help our voices, and (b) – THERE'S ALWAYS AN ALTERIOR MOTIVE – it amuses her. Haha. And then there's this "abusive teacher power" thing that she's always telling us about. She'll be all "Stand up," and we do, then "Sit down," and we do, then "Stand up," and so on and so forth.**

**Yeah…anyway…MOVING ON.**

**I colored my Keds. Well, they're not even really KEDS. They're some cheap sixteen-dollar mock-up from Urban Outfitters. But anyway, I got them, and they bored me, so I drew on them. HO-HO-HO, how I wish I hadn't. I can't wear them out anymore. I wore them to the drugstore as a test run – I wouldn't have a test run at SCHOOL, do you think I'm an idiot? – and eeeeveryone stared at me. Even this creeper…but…I dunno if he was looking at my shoes, xD…yah…teehee.**

**Wow…I dunno what else to rant about. Normally I can go on forever and ever…**

**ONE MORE THING.**

**Has anyone ever noticed how in **_**Camp Rock**_** during "Gotta Find You," that when Joe starts singing the chorus, YOU CAN HEAR ANOTHER JONAS BROTHER BEHIND HIM? Seriously…REALLY, Disney??**

**But yeah, one of my friends and I are sooo totally waiting for the special edition to come out and in a deleted scene have him singing the song to Demi and then, in the background on the lake, have Nick and Kevin ride by on a canoe while playing the guitar and singing along. Because THAT would be AWESOME.**

**Haha. Anyways, REVIEW. I COMMAND THEE.**

**I LUUUUUUURVE YOU AAAAAAAAALL.**

**-Meri Umeko-**


	10. An Innocent Breakfast

**Disclaimer:**

**I do not own **_**Naruto.**_** It was created by and belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

Elva didn't get to see Konohamaru the next day, and in the long run, that's probably the only thing she would ever remember about what happened two days before her birthday. The day lasted forever, most of it Elva spending in the library, reading books upon books upon books. It amused her, at the least.

Of course, she didn't forget that Konohamaru's house was so close by. On her way to the library she stopped by, and on the way home. Each time, though, no one answered the door. She assumed that he wasn't home, but still, as the day dragged on, she couldn't help but imagine other possibilities. Like he was avoiding her.

Eventually Elva got through that everlasting day, and was relieved beyond belief when she awoke the next day. Immediately she jumped out of bed and went into the bathroom with a towel, turning on the shower and jumping in a moment later. It was freezing, she knew, but that was precisely the point. To wake herself up. To get her mind working.

She made the shower last as long as it could, but soon everything that could be done had been done. She got out, wrapping herself in the towel, and once she was relatively dry, went into her bedroom. For one of the first times in her life, she had a really hard time deciding what to wear. The only other times she had gone through this was when Moegi had been around. She hadn't heard from Moegi or Udon in almost three days.

She decided on a black tank top and khaki cargo pants. She slipped into a comfortable pair of sandals and almost went back into the bathroom to take care of her hair, but then decided it was hopeless. She wrapped her hair in the towel and then headed back out into the kitchen. Putting a pot on the stove to boil water, she flipped on the electric stove and went to get some noodles to cook.

While she was fumbling through her pantry, someone knocked on her door. Surprised, she stood up too fast, and hit her head on the top of the pantry. "_Fuck_!" she shouted, grimacing. She held her head and flew to the door, rubbing her forehead irritably. She swung the door open. The happiness that suddenly exploded inside her was just as soon engulfed by a flash of red, a burst of pain. She fought the urge to grimace again.

"Konohamaru," she breathed quietly, grinning happily. She couldn't believe just how much she had really missed him the past day, now that he was right there in front of her. She wanted him, she craved him, more than anything else. Another pain hit her then, at that thought, but she easily pushed it aside. Suddenly she was aware of the silence that was filling the space between them.

She was just about to invite him in when he smirked, stopping her, and kissed her all of a sudden. It had almost as much passion as all of their past kisses combined, but also a sense of impatience. It made her want to pull away, but she couldn't bring herself to. She needed him _that_ much.

Eventually, though, he stepped away from her. "Where were you yesterday?" he asked, voicing Elva's thoughts. She was still taken back by the kiss – not that she didn't enjoy it! – but she was able to react, at least.

"…where were _you_?" she asked, frowning. She stepped back into her apartment, motioning for him to come in, shutting the door behind himself. She went to get the pasta, suddenly remembering, and poured it into the pot, still talking. "I stopped by your place a few times, but no one ever answered. I was at the library for, like, forever besides that. So…how 'bout you?"

As she continued preparing her breakfast, Konohamaru spoke up. "I came by _here_ a lot yesterday, and you weren't home. I hung out with Moegi and Udon some. They didn't know where you were, either." He paused, then added, "Still, you didn't miss anything great. Yesterday sucked."

Elva had to laugh, glancing back at him. "Funny. My day sucked, too." Finished for now, she sat down at the table across from Konohamaru, waiting for the pasta to cook. Konohamaru chuckled, but didn't say anything, so Elva changed the subject. "What are you doing tomorrow?"

Konohamaru nearly did a double take, looking shocked. Elva frowned, wondering if what she had said came off wrong. It had seemed like an innocent enough question. "Excuse me?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. "What do you _think_ I'll be doing? It's your _birthday_, Elva. Use your imagination."

"I didn't think you'd remember," she mused quietly, smiling for his benefit. "It doesn't seem like that big a deal to me," she admitted after a moment. "I'll only be sixteen. It's honestly not that big a jump from fifteen, if you think about it."

Konohamaru then sighed melodramatically. "Fine, then," he murmured, obviously disappointed. "If you don't care about your birthday…then you won't get the awesome, fantastic present I got you."

This immediately got Elva's attention. "What?" she demanded. "What is it? Tell me! You _have_ to give it to me! It's my _birthday_ tomorrow," she reasoned, nearly jumping out of her chair.

He laughed, amused. "Since you're so excited, I guess I could give it to you now." Elva literally did jump out of her chair now, almost breathless. Smirking, he reached into his pocket and took out a rectangular box, tossing it to Elva.

As she opened it quickly, he murmured something to himself about how he regretted buying her something so breakable. This made her open if faster. Finally, it was out. A peach-colored, palm-sized cell phone stared at her, the screen blank. She looked for the keypad, but there wasn't one there. She tried to flip it open, but it didn't work. Suddenly it was gone from her hand, Konohamaru taking it and demonstrating to her how it worked. He slid it up, the keypad revealed beneath the screen.

Elva gasped, grabbing it back. "This is so…wow!" she breathed out, eyes wide. She turned it on and went straight to the address book. "Hey, what's your…" She trailed off, realizing that Konohamaru had already programmed his number into it, along with Moegi and Udon's. Elva looked up, smiling brightly. "Thank you so much!" she squealed, running up to him and pulling him to her, kissing him again.

After a few seconds of frenzied kissing, Konohamaru laughed, pulling away. "No problem," he said, still chuckling. "You know how to work it, don't you?" Elva gave him a look, and he laughed again. "I know, I know. Of course you do. But…yeah. I got it so it would be easier for us to keep in contact. Like if there's another day like yesterday, and we can't find each other. We'll just call each other. Just remember to charge it when it's out of battery."

Elva nodded, slightly upset that the kiss had been interrupted so soon. Then she heard a sizzling behind her, and her eyes went wide. "Crap!" she muttered, running back to the pasta. She made a face, trying to stir it. "…ugh, it got stuck to the bottom. This is why I don't cook food."

Konohamaru was behind her soon enough, turning off the stove and emptying the pasta. "Fine, then," he said. "I told Moegi and Udon we'd meet them soon for breakfast, anyway." He smiled at her shocked expression, then started to drag her towards the door.

Just then she remembered her hair. "Oh, wait!" she exclaimed, rushing into the bathroom. She brushed through her hair impatiently, not caring that it was still went, and after a few brief seconds of debate decided to leave it down. She hurried back out to Konohamaru, smiling. "Ready."

Konohamaru chuckled, raising an eyebrow. "You looked fine, Elva," he mumbled, almost looking confused. He went to get the door for her, but she beat him there, making a face.

"I was wearing a towel on my head," Elva reminded him, pulling the door open and exiting without another word. She barely heard his response behind her, but tried to ignore it anyway.

"A very sexy towel," Konohamaru muttered, laughing to himself again before going to catch up with Elva. Without another word, he took her hand – to her pleased surprise – and once they were downstairs started pulling her one way down the street. When they passed Ichiraku's, Elva visibly started looking confused, and he smirked at her. "We're not that far, don't worry. I'm not kidnapping you or anything."

_Not that I'd care,_ Elva almost said aloud, but stopped herself. That would be too far, or at least she thought it would. So she sighed, rolling her eyes. "Fine. But I'm hungry," she said. "And hunger's not a pleasant feeling."

Konohamaru laughed, louder this time, and started to veer off to the side of the road, dragging Elva along with him. There were two places they could be going – to a typical café-restaurant, with a cute chalkboard menu out front for people to see what the specials for the day were – and then there was the other option. From the outside, it looked more like an old, run-down bar that hadn't been rented out in years, whose owners had just enough money to keep it going.

When Konohamaru released her hand a second later, she turned toward the café's door. Almost immediately after, his hand was around her waist, and she could hear him laughing behind her. "Wrong way, Elva," he chuckled to himself – while she flushed red, half angry, half embarrassed – and pulled her by the waist into the old, run-down bar.

Elva could tell she had been wrong about the outward appearance instantly. Sure, it was a bar, but it was much nicer than she had imagined. There were cute, four-person tables all along the floor, with the classic white-and-red checkered table clothes with small candle centerpieces and silverware with paper napkins. It was dimly lit, but not to the point that would make it uncomfortable. A few tables were occupied, but most were open.

_It's very…quaint,_ Elva mused to herself, smiling. Then she looked up at Konohamaru. "Where's Moegi and Udon?" she asked, her smile threatening to twitch into a confused frown. He only nodded ahead of her, leaving her to follow his gaze across the room, where they were already seated.

As the two walked over to meet Moegi and Udon, Elva became vaguely aware of Konohamaru's arm still wrapped around her waist, and slowly but surely her blush began to creep back into her cheeks. She wriggled out of his grasp, and suddenly red pulsed into her vision, going away immediately. She started to get a headache. Elva sat down next to Konohamaru once he was seated. "So…" she began, smiling a little too cheerfully. "What have you guys been up to?"

Moegi and Udon exchanged glances, before Udon began tentatively. "Well…I've actually been working double shifts at the apartment building. I'm going to be leaving—" He tossed a nervous glanced at Konohamaru before continuing, "—for Suna. Ebisu-sensei recommended it. Said it would help me become a…better ninja…" He forced a laugh then. "Only thing is, I have to raise the money to get there myself. That sucks."

"You didn't tell me that," Konohamaru said, sounding surprised. It also sounded like he was trying to control his tone of voice, but Elva tried to ignore that. "When are you leaving? How long will you be gone?"

"Um…" Udon paused when his voice cracked. "I'm leaving…tomorrow." He winced when Konohamaru tensed. "For, um…about six months?" he finished sheepishly, and immediately he seemed to regret waiting till now to bring it up.

"You're not going to be here tomorrow?" Konohamaru asked quietly, frowning at him. "You're honestly leaving…_tomorrow_. That's—"

"My birthday, I know!" Elva exclaimed, exasperated. She didn't understand why she was so annoyed at Konohamaru suddenly. "It's not that big a deal, Konohamaru. It's _just_ a birthday. I'm sure I'll have plenty more. So please, stop acting like it's the end of the world if Udon misses it. I'm happy for him – if he wants to, he _should_ be focusing on bettering himself as a ninja."

Konohamaru was obviously taken aback by the outburst, but for some reason Udon and Moegi didn't seem to have the same reaction. In fact, for several seconds, Moegi's eyes were away from the table, to the door, like she was watching for something. Then she looked back at the table. "Yeah," she put in absent-mindedly. "You should be happy for Udon."

Konohamaru scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Well, you know…" He trailed off, glancing at Elva before returning his gaze to Moegi. "I _am_ happy for him, thank you very much, it just surprised me, is all."

Elva was only vaguely aware of the continuing conversation for the next few minutes, for two reasons. One, she was trying to figure out why she had flipped out. Sure, it _was_ just her birthday – no big deal, right? – but she hadn't needed to yell. Then there was the matter of her little migraine.

Her headache was nearly driving her insane, a constant throbbing pain. At one point she had noticed a glass of water in front of her, and she had tried to drink some to numb the pulsing pain, but it wouldn't work. She resorted to resting her chin in her hands, staring blankly down at the red-and-white checkered tablecloth.

She slowly became aware of Moegi's angry tone after five or so minutes had passed. "…he _left_," she breathed out, unbelieving yet obviously pissed off. "He saw her and _left_." Confused, Elva sat up, looking around.

"Who saw who?" she asked, feeling unbelievably stupid. She could just imagine what she sounded like, putting her recent space-out on display for all to see.

"Elva, we should go," Konohamaru said in a low tone, and for the second time Elva could hear the control in his voice, setting her on edge. He was glaring at Moegi and Udon, and Elva yelled at herself mentally for not paying attention earlier.

Elva was about to ask what was wrong, but suddenly she was out of her seat, Konohamaru half-dragging, half-walking her away. "Okay," she mumbled to herself, frowning. "So we're going." Then she sighed. "I'm hungry," she said in a small voice.

When they were out of the restaurant, Elva yanked herself free of Konohamaru's grasp, stopping to look at him. "What's up?" she asked, trying to hide her suspicion and instead start on a lighter approach. "Who was that back there?" she pretended like she had seen whoever the fight was about.

"It's none of your business," Konohamaru shot, and the sudden anger in his voice stunned Elva briefly. He stopped at the look on her face, then seemed to recollect his thoughts. "What I mean is…it's not important. It's just extra trouble."

"Yeah, I seem to attract that," Elva muttered to herself, hands on her hips now, rolling her eyes. She refused to meet Konohamaru's gaze when he looked at her now. "I don't care what it is. I just want to know," she said, staring at the ground pointedly.

There was a long silence, which was only made more awkward by the passing townspeople. Elva couldn't help but notice they were all looking at them. _Konoha,_ she thought to herself bitterly. _The city of gossip._ She reluctantly looked up at Konohamaru, remaining silent, waiting for an answer.

He seemed to have made his decision, at least. "Egami," he finally said, almost wincing when he said the name. He obviously expected it to have a negation effect on Elva, but she couldn't help herself from smiling, recognizing it almost immediately.

"Sanyu?" she asked, her grin growing brighter. "He came here?" Then she stopped, suddenly remembering what Moegi had said. "…but…why would he have left?" she then asked, her tone completely different. She sounded disappointed now, to Konohamaru's dismay.

"You don't know anything, do you?" he snapped, frowning again. Elva was about to respond, but he cut her off. "Moegi invited him, Elva. You haven't realized? She and Udon…aren't…_fond_ of you. At least, not today they weren't. Moegi invited him because he hates you."

"He doesn't know me," Elva pointed out, scoffing. "He can't hate me."

"Well, he does, Elva." He paused for a moment, then continued. "Three years after you left, he and Haru were on their first mission without their sensei tagging along. Everyone did the same, I guess, but they were a special case, because they only had two ninjas on their team. Because you weren't there."

He paused, then went on. "There were…complications. I've never heard the full story, but I guess they ran into some rogue ninjas or something to or from Konoha. They _killed_ Haru, Elva, because he and Sanyu were outnumbered. They didn't stand a chance. Sanyu almost died, too, and he probably would have if another team hadn't have found them."

Elva was silent for a while, unsure of what to say. Of course, she felt guilty beyond belief, but could she just say that? Would it be right to say that? No, Konohamaru would probably just say it wasn't her fault. But was it? "…and he hates me because I wasn't there?" Elva asked slowly, frowning. Konohamaru nodded. She sighed. "…okay, that ruined my birthday."

She didn't mean it selfishly – she just felt _that_ guilty. It would be hard for her to forget it, but after all, she would probably be stalked by Konohamaru the whole day. And he's even harder to forget. "This is why I didn't want to tell you," she heard him say softly.

"Of course it's why," Elva scoffed, rolling her eyes. "One of my teammates died because I was a stupid ten-year-old." _ I hardly knew him. Why am I so upset?_ she wondered to herself, hearing her voice becoming more forced. She ignored the lump in her throat, trying to smile jokingly at Konohamaru.

"Okay, I'm taking you home," Konohamaru announced suddenly, gently taking her hand and starting to pull her back toward the apartment building. She didn't resist, to her own surprise, mostly because she was trying to keep herself from crying. By the time they were back to her apartment, she wasn't sure if she could trust her voice, lest she start crying.

"Do you want me to stay?" Konohamaru asked quietly, tucking a stray piece of hair behind Elva's ears. She tried to smile, shaking her head. He sighed, but didn't try to argue with her. When he kissed her this time it felt like he was only half there, like he was thinking about something else. When he pulled away, it hurt Elva, and immediately she went for the door, worried she was going to start bawling right there, in front of him.

When the door shut heavily behind her, it was like something snapped, and the tears flooded out of her eyes. Luckily she wasn't too loud, or else a second later Konohamaru would have burst through the door and ruined the moment. Not that it was a good moment, but Elva soon realized that she needed a good cry, and he would never let that happen.

She sat at the kitchen table, burying her head in her arms, sobbing her heart out. She knew she wasn't only crying because of Haru – she was crying because of everything that had happened in the past few weeks. Every time she had seen red, had felt pain – that frustrated her beyond belief. It was like something inside her was telling her to give up Konohamaru, to stay away from him. But how could she do that? All she ever wanted to do nowadays was to be with him.

And then there was Sasuke, and Kisame. She suddenly realized how much she missed them, and she started crying even more. She knew she didn't particularly like either of them, but she had known them for so long, and now she never saw Kisame, and only saw Sasuke on occasion. She wondered in the back of her mind when she would next see Sasuke – she couldn't figure out if it had been a week yet or not – but she soon gave up.

There was one last thing. One last reason she was crying.

"_I'm going to kill him."_

Elva couldn't figure out what she was crying out. If she was crying about the fact that she was dreaming about her dead father, and secretly missed him terribly. Or if she was crying about the fact that her dream about her dead father had to do with said father hating Konohamaru. Both were awful ideas to her.

_Itachi stepped out of the shadows in front of her, grinning darkly. "The next time I see you with him, I'm going to ruin him."_

Okay, so it was the second one, apparently. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she felt a sharp burst of pain at the thought. Should she have felt guilty that she supposedly _didn't_ miss her father? Another stab of pain.

"…_tell me you hate him, Elva, and I might not kill him."_

A second wave of tears spilled out of Elva's eyes, falling freely. She regretted leaving Konohamaru. She wanted him right next to her, comforting her. She felt like she was falling apart without him. She _needed_ him. Another burst of pain.

_Itachi spoke again. "Well?" he asked, sneering._

"_I hate him," Elva breathed out, unable to think anything else._

Somewhere outside of her mind she vaguely heard a phone ring. She didn't own a phone, did she? But she had a _cell_ phone, as of today. Only Konohamaru could've been calling her. Immediately she felt herself reach for the phone, sliding it open.

_YOU HAVE ONE NEW TEXT MESSAGE._

Dropping it onto the table in disgust, Elva let out a sob, the first vocal sign that she was crying. It wasn't from Konohamaru, or at least it hadn't said that it had been. She had wanted him to be calling her so badly, to be worried about her. She didn't care if that was selfish. She just flat out _wanted_ him.

At that final burst of pain, her eyes shot open. She could have sworn she saw Itachi standing in front of her, across the table. But when she blinked, he was gone.

**Author's Note:**

_**Sasori-Chibi **_ Lol, Elva DOES blush far, FAR too much. Hehe, part of her charm, eh? Were you glad to see Itachi in this chappie (even though it wasn't a lot?) ?? Hope you were! Haha…you MIGHT find this A/N amusing…probably not…I was bored, so I was like "OMFG. COLLAGE." …so…yeah…you'll see xD

_**AliKatNyah **_ Lol I feel bad if I don't review for certain fanfictions every time there's a new chapter, too xD Especially that one story by Bored-ism – _Don't Believe in Romance _– because she wrote it for me! Have you read that? If you haven't, YOU SHOULD. It's one of my Favorite Stories, so you could find it there. In fact, EVERYONE. READ IT. …if it helps, ITACHI'S THE MAIN CHARACTER. Haha. Thar goes the fan gurlz.

**Haha. I cheated on the time/number of days during this chapter. Hope you didn't notice…if you did, yell at me for it. I think I skipped one or two days, just because HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW HOW TO RIGHT FIVE FILLER CHAPTERS IN A ROW? **

**Auuugh! I need to get to the ones that I LIVE FOR WRITING. Haha…um…I dunno how many of thooose there are. Three? Wow, short fanfiction!**

The History of Author's Notes: Highlights of _GTAMTL_…

**Ch. 1**

**I'm apparently allergic to amoxicillan.**

**Ch. 6**

**I mean...the first time Evelyn sees him; she's just like, "AGH!" And the mummy's like... "I'm-gonna-stare-at-you-like-a-stalker-just-to-freak-you-out." **

**Ch. 8**

**We sing and dance to "You Can't Stop the Beat" as one of our songs, and during the chorus, I'm belting the alto part, as our conductor prefers the altos do…but today, I was like "EVER SINCE WE FIRST SAW THE LIGHT, A MAN AND WO—squeeeeeeeeeeeak!" **

**Ch. 9**

**(…yeah, so it was that sort of I'm-a-creepy-stalker-who-can-rape-you-with-my-eyes-if-I-want-you smile…and he smiled at Sasuke with that 0.o …BUT STILL.)**

**Ch. 10**

**Because, really, we all know that kiwis just need to, like, be erased from the face of the Earth.**

**Ch. 14**

**I know you all hate me, but I still hold a deep, burning passion for each and every one of you. In a none-creepy way, if at all possible. Although it's not.**

The History of Author's Notes: Highlights of _BotE_…

**Ch. 3**

**Note to self: WRITE HERE LATER!!**

**Ch. 4**

**Ooooh, my God. I totally wanna cut off some of Edward Cullen's skin and wear it to my birthday…it's coming up.**

**Ch. 5**

**IT'S FUN TO BURN SIMS ON PURPOSE.**

**Ch. 6**

**-see title of chapter-**

**Ch. 7**

"**SHE has FRIENDS?!"**

**Ch. 8**

**You have a 1 / 1,000,000 of a chance (TIMES NINE).**

**Ch. 9**

**THERE'S ALWAYS AN ALTERIOR MOTIVE.**

**Ch. 10**

**CRACK IS WHACK.**

_**END OF TRANSMISSION.**_

**Anywhoos, hope y'all enjoyed that. I didn't…gah, it took too long. BUT I WAS TOO LAZY TO COME UP WITH ANOTHER GOOD IDEA. So…um…HA. Not that it was a good idea. Because I'm physically/mentally/emotionally incapable of having a GOOD idea.**

**Tee-hee.**

**REVIEW. YOU KNOW I LUUURVE YOU, SO**

**JUST**

**SAY**

**YES!!**

**(Except to crack. CRACK IS WHACK.)**

**(…and REVIEW.)**

**-Meri Umeko-**


	11. Sweet Sixteen

**Disclaimer:**

**I do not own **_**Naruto.**_** It was created by and belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

The first thing Elva heard when she woke up was her cell phone ringing. Technically, it was the only possible thing she could have heard when she had first woken up because it had been _what woke her up._ Her eyes fluttered open, immediately shutting again after she realized the light had been left on. She blindly reached forward for the phone, sliding it up and pressing it to her ear.

"U-Um…hey," she mumbled, trying her hardest not to yawn. It wasn't very successful. In fact, it sounded like she was choking for a moment. She could hear Konohamaru laughing, and she sighed. "Shut up." She had meant to make it sound more forced, but of course it came out pathetically.

He just laughed more. "Happy birthday," he said in between laughs. "You're not dying, are you? 'Cause that would definitely suck."

"It probably would," Elva allowed, smiling to herself. She was looking around at the room she was in – she had fallen asleep in the _kitchen_, and had been sleeping at the kitchen table for only Kami knows how long. She tried not to sigh again, and cleared her throat instead. "So," she began, thinking. "…what time is it?"

There was a brief pause when Konohamaru must have checked a clock or something, and then he responded. "A little after two. Why?" he asked.

"You're joking, aren't you?" Elva groaned, putting her head in her hands. No way had she already slept through most of the day. It was such a ridiculous thought! She was _sixteen_ – she didn't need that much sleep, did she? When Konohamaru didn't respond, she let herself sigh now. "No, you're not. Great. I just woke up."

"Oh." Elva could tell Konohamaru was stifling a laugh, but she didn't mind that much. She could imagine how it could seem amusing. "So, uh…how are you feeling?" he then asked, and for the first time Elva noted a slightly nervous edge to his voice. It was a loaded question, she realized, but she had no idea what it was supposed to mean.

"Um, fine, I guess," she responded slowly, frowning. "I mean, being sixteen isn't that different from being fifteen. Not that much has changed in, oh…I don't know. The…" She paused, and then gasped suddenly, realizing something. "What's wrong with me?" she breathed out, in shock.

"What?" Konohamaru asked, suddenly more alert.

"I-I…" Elva paused, collecting her thoughts. "Konohamaru," she said quietly, "this isn't that big a deal, really. I just overreacted. A _lot_. But…don't get freaked out, you'll probably laugh at me when I say this…but when you left me here yesterday morning at…I don't know, ten o'clock or something? I fell asleep, like, right after that." She paused again, doing the math quickly. "I've been asleep for…sixteen hours?"

As her memories from the previous day came flooding back, and she remembered Itachi there, like he really _was_ standing right in front of her, relief also spread through her. _Sixteen hours and no nightmares,_ she realized, quite pleased with herself. _Maybe I'm not going insane._

"That kind of weird, no offense," Konohamaru said, and Elva picked up again on the tense edge in his voice. He fell silent for a long minute, then suddenly asked, "Did you get a message from me on your phone last night?"

"…no," Elva responded slowly, confused. "What do you mean 'message?'"

"A text message," he said quickly. Elva frowning, thinking again.

_Somewhere outside of her mind she vaguely heard a phone ring. She didn't own a phone, did she? But she had a cell phone, as of today. Only Konohamaru could've been calling her. Immediately she felt herself reach for the phone, sliding it open._

_YOU HAVE ONE NEW TEXT MESSAGE._

"Oh." Elva let it sink in for a moment, then smiled, laughing at herself. "_Oh._ That was you? It didn't have a name on it, so I never opened it. What did it say?"

Konohamaru was silent for less than a second this time, but that small pause was enough to begin to worry Elva. "It's not important, really. Please don't read it," he said quietly.

"Um…okay, I won't," Elva replied, biting her lip. _What did he say?_ she wondered to herself. She could always wait for him to hang up and then look at it…but he said he didn't want her to read it. What was she supposed to do?

"Thanks." Now the silence was just awkward. Konohamaru cleared his throat again. "Well…can I…come over soon? Or was there something you wanted to do today?"

No, she hadn't. But now that Elva was thinking about it, there was something she was a little curious about. "Actually…there is. Come over here, I'll be ready. Let's…go on a walk, okay?"

"Yeah, sure," Konohamaru replied, sounding slightly relieved. He seemed to think the text message was dropped. Elva wasn't sure if it was completely.

Still, she tried to sound enthusiastic. "Okay. See you soon." She hung up and put the phone on the table, resisting the urge to open the text then and there. She went to her closet, deciding on some jeans, a plain white camisole, and a dark olive green sweatshirt. She slipped on a random pair of flip-flops, and pulled her hair into a sloppy ponytail.

She didn't have time to do much else, because a few seconds later Konohamaru was knocking on the door, to her surprise. "He got here fast," she murmured to herself, amused. She slipped the cell phone into her jean pocket on her way out, just in case. "Hey," she greeted her cheerfully, immediately standing up on her tiptoes to kiss him.

When she pulled away, she felt weird. Different. She wasn't exactly happy to see Konohamaru – she _was_, but it bothered her that something was wrong, and that sense of unease was overpowering the feeling of happiness. What disturbed her most was the feeling of contentment at realizing she wasn't really happy.

"Hey," he responded, smiling easily. It almost hurt her that she felt glad she wasn't happy, when he seemed happy enough, but she tried to ignore it.

"Come on," she said, taking his hand and pulling him down the stairs and out of the apartment complex. She almost stopped outside when she realized she had no idea where she was going, but she wasn't going to give him a chance to ask where they were going. So she tried guessing.

There were a few landmarks that she remembered from her childhood that she could use to guess her way there, to the center of everything odd that had been happening to her recently, and she at least knew the general way to get to those. First came the Academy. It was the easiest to find, of course, as it was one of the largest buildings in Konohagakure.

When they were in front of it, Konohamaru almost got a word or two in, but Elva cut him off. "Hold on, I'm thinking," she said quickly, frowning. She was trying to decide between the two streets that ran on either side of the building, and eventually chose the one to the left, hoping it was the right one.

She hoped the fact that there were hardly any people in this part of the village was a good sign. Then again, it could just be from the weather – the clouds above looked anything but inviting. Soon she could see Konoha Police Station – and on top of it the Uchiha clan's crest – and relaxed slightly. "We're almost there," she reassured Konohamaru, realizing how weird it must be, being led aimlessly through Konoha by someone who had a tendency to get lost and who wasn't even talking to you.

Realizing what he must be thinking, Elva slowed her pace, forcing herself to calm down. She had to start some sort of conversation. It would be weird to go the whole way with just little tidbits of instructions. But Konohamaru beat her to the punch, with the question she didn't want to answer. "Where are we going?" he asked slowly, raising an eyebrow at her. "No one ever comes here."

"Really?" Elva suddenly asked, her mood obviously brightening. "That's _good_ – then I have to be going the right way…I think. I hope." She frowned, then sighed. "It doesn't matter. You'll see soon enough."

They continued walking, and after a moment, Konohamaru spoke up again, his tone changing. "I like your sweater," he said, motioning to it with a nod of his head. "It's a nice color. I like it." He looked at Elva, and immediately frowned when he saw she was trying her hardest not to laugh. "What is it?"

"That just sounded so _awkward_!" She blurted out, laughing suddenly. "You like my sweater? It's a pretty color? Really? I'm sorry…I'm sorry, I shouldn't be laughing. It's just…it seems like one of those things that you only say to someone who you have nothing in common with and haven't seen for years!"

When she suddenly realized that part of what she had just said was completely true, she sobered herself. "…I'm sorry, that wasn't funny," she said quietly, frowning. "…Thank you. I…like my sweatshirt, too. It's comfortable."

Now it was his turn to frown. "Really?" he asked, and immediately Elva could tell by his joking tone that he hadn't taken her words to heart. "I don't really like it – no offense. I mean…it's way too big for you…and it's _really_ ratty."

"Really?" Elva asked, looking down at it automatically. "I didn't think so. But, I don't know…just like it. It was my dad's. I have some stuff of his." She was suddenly very serious – so much so that it almost creeped her out.

"Oh." Konohamaru seemed effected by the sudden mood change, and uncomfortably cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, Elva," he said softly, averting his gaze to the ground.

"It's fine," she said quietly, squeezing his hand lightly. Almost as suddenly as she had done so, though, she thought she saw someone – or something – in the shadows to her right, stepping toward her. She felt herself tense, surprising herself by moving _away_ from Konohamaru instinctively. She moved _towards_ what she had thought she had seen, frowning. She didn't see anything now.

Now she was facing away from Konohamaru completely, at the alley. She heard him walk up to her from behind. "Is this where you were headed?" he asked, his tone indicating his concern for her sanity.

"No," Elva forced out, still staring intently at the alley. She _knew_ she had seen something. Hadn't she? Or maybe she was going insane. She blinked, shaking her head. "No, it's not," she repeated, looking at Konohamaru, forcing a smile. "But we're almost there. I think," she then added as an after thought.

He seemed reluctant to follow her this time when she started off again, but he was soon at her side again. Before a minute or two had passed, they were _there_. Elva tried to hide her excitement. Why should she be happy to be here? She heard Konohamaru stop abruptly behind her, suddenly realizing where they had been going.

The unbroken line of Uchiha crests stared at her from the long, stone fence. Directly parallel were houses that had been uninhabited for years. For as long as Elva had been alive, she suddenly realized, and probably a little bit longer. She could hear the reluctance again in Konohamaru's tone when he spoke up. "Elva…" he began, wincing.

"There's nothing wrong with coming here," she said softly, more convincing herself than needing to tell him. "Just because it's abandoned doesn't mean it's _bad_. I mean…I'm…half…" She paused, finding it weird to say the word now that they were _here_. She frowned again. "…I don't know why I came here. Sorry," she mumbled, finally facing Konohamaru.

"I never thought you'd want to come here," Konohamaru said slowly, like he didn't know what to say. "If you want to stay, that's really fine. It's kind of a…morbid edge to add to your birthday, but—" Elva cut him off.

"I've had a few _morbid_ birthdays before, remember?" Elva muttered sarcastically, raising an eyebrow. At that line, she felt a quick jab of pain, but ignored it. When she saw him wince again, she sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm being stupid today. I don't know what's my problem."

Now Konohamaru seemed to do a double take, remembering something from earlier. "Are you…_sure_ you didn't read that text, then, Elva? Because you are acting different today…no offense," he said, now almost looking hurt.

Elva's hand immediately went to her jean pocket where her cell phone was. She frowned, furrowing her eyebrows. "Why? What did it say?" she asked, eyes narrowing a fraction of an inch. Suspicion so obviously clouded her features that the look of regret was quick to jump onto Konohamaru's face.

"Nothing," he said quickly. "It's not important, really." But Elva was already going into her pocket, sliding the phone open and going to text. She knew it was something bad – it had to be. "Elva, _please_," he tried to reason. "I'll tell you if you let me, just don't…" He trailed off as the look of shock spread across Elva's face.

In clear words, the text read, _Don't worry about Moegi and Udon. They're just assholes. Sorry for today. _She could imagine the pause when Konohamaru must have thought whether or not to add the next part, how scared he must have been to type it. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she read the next five words.

_Just know I love you._

Elva looked up at him, unable to say anything. Konohamaru must have been able to tell she hadn't been expecting it, but besides that there wasn't much else you could tell from her expression. Then, just as her eyes started to fill with tears and Konohamaru was going to apologize, a smile spread across her face with pure joy.

She cleared the distance between them, taking hold of the back of his neck and pulling him to her, crushing her lips against his. He kissed back instantly with equal ferocity, holding her closer. Suddenly, she realized how much she _wanted_ him, the burning need almost completely taking over her. She gripped him closer – if at all possible – and as if the move was synchronized, Elva's legs were wrapped around his waist, and he was backing into one of the houses.

When they finally broke apart for the first time, Elva yanked off her sweatshirt without a second thought, kissing him again as soon as she could. She could hardly bear a second apart from him now, she needed him so badly. Somehow – and she'll never know how they found it – they had entered a bedroom.

Konohamaru dropped Elva onto the bed, continuing the kiss passionately. Elva fumbled with the buttons of his shirt, ripping it off as fast as possible. He was pushing her back down onto the bed when multiple things happened at the same thing, so quickly following one after another that Elva had no idea what was happening.

She heard a door slamming, and as if the noise had triggered it, the pain that Elva had been so glad hadn't been coming, suddenly shot up her spine, spreading throughout her body. She gasped, pulling away from Konohamaru in response, cringing. She refused to open her eyes, not wanting to be blinded by red with a pain that matched what she felt now. Still, it felt like her eyes were burning.

She could feel Konohamaru next to her, both alert to the sound of the door and to Elva. He shook her gently, worried. "Elva?" he asked, his tone hushed. "Elva, are you—?" Another door slammed, but this time, it was much closer. Elva heard it, but just barely. She could hardly react to any of her senses right now, at least not in a positive way.

She thought she heard someone say her name, and it wasn't Konohamaru, and then suddenly she was in the air – being lifted or carried, she didn't know – and into the pouring rain. All she could wonder was if the person carrying her was Konohamaru, but she was too afraid to open her eyes. She didn't even know if she could.

Finally, she stopped moving. She hit the ground hard, and she immediately cringed again, biting her lip to keep from crying out. Someone knelt down beside her, shaking her. "Elva," the voice said quietly. "Are you all right?" They sounded genuinely concerned, but their voice was guarded, careful. Elva recognized it immediately.

"Sasuke, what are you doing here?"

**Author's Note:**

_**Sasori-Chibi **_ LOL. Yes…Itachi…wow…yeah. He amuses me when he's dead and stalking Elva xD Laaawl…I dunno why I did that creepy A/N last chapter. I was bored, and browsing my A/Ns for ideas on what to rant about in the last chapter, and then I just decided to talk all the lines that made me laugh, lol.

_**AliKatNyah **_ YAY, YOU READ IT. Isn't Bored-ism AMAZING? I know…I love that fanfiction! MUAHAHA. Yes. Feel bad for Elva. Exactly my plan…moohaha. Ahem. Anyway, yes, Elva should NEVER turn her back on Konohamaru (I'm laughing right now as I'm writing it…whether it's a hyper laugh and therefore nothing to worry about or an eeeeeeevil laugh that has to do with a later plot line I WILL NOT TELL YOU). YES. ROMANCE IS LOVE.

_**The Commander **_It's fine, really!! But I'm very flattered – this is your favorite story?? REALLY? If that's true, I LOVE YOU!! Hahahaha. Your little shout out to Moegi and Udon made me laugh. Yeah…no one loves them…not even their parents. HAHAHA I'M SO MEAN. Naw. That didn't even sound mean, I don't think.

**Anyway…augh. It's taken me TWO WEEKS TO COME UP WITH THIS CHAPTER. Ew. That's a long time. It's like…five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes MINUS FIFTY WEEKS.**

**Guess what? I HAVE AN IDEA FOR ANOTHER STORY THAT DOESN'T HAVE ELVA IN IT. OhmyGAWD, I can just hear y'all now. "REALLY?! I thought her brain was too small to hold numerous plot lines at a time!" Yeah, yeah, well you're all partly right. See, that's NORMALLY true, but not when the story's loosely based off of my OWN LIFE. Haha, I'm a freak.**

**So, yeah, if anyone knows how to put up a story on FanFiction that's NOT a fanfiction (like, what section to put it in, perhaps??), I'd be MUCHO obliged. Haha. I spoke ESPAGNOL. Laaaaawl. Naw. I take FRANCAISE.**

**Here goes a terribly put together French paragraph with no accents and no attention to grammar. GOOD LUCK TO THOSE WHO SPEAK FRENCH.**

**Bonjour. Comment t'allez-vous? Ca va bien, merci! Ou es-tu origines? Je suis d'origine allemande, suisse, francaise, anglaise, canadienne, americaine-indienne, francaise-canadienne, AND TONS OF OTHERS THAT I DUNNO HOW TO TRANSLATE. J'habite a Illinois, bien sur, mais je suis nee a Virginie. J'ai un chat, et il s'appelle Danielle. ("Cat" has to be masculine in French, I dunno why. I KNOW my cat's a girl, don't worry!) Aussi, j'ai un souer. Elle est plus age que moi. Elle s'appelle Mere. Elle n'est pas sympathique. Non, non, elle est trop sympathique! Et toi? Qu'est-ce que toi famille?**

**Loosely translated…**

**Hello. How are you? I'm good, thanks. Where do you come from? I'm German, Swiss (I meant to say Swedish…haha), French, English, Canadian, Native American, French-Canadian, and tons of others that I dunno how to translate. I live in Illinois, of course, but I was born in Virginia. I have a cat, and her name is Danielle. Also, I have a sister. She is older than I am. Her name is Mere. She isn't nice. No, no, she is too nice! And you? What is your family?**

**Naw, I'm not trying to be stalker(ish). I just put in the little "et toi" thing at the end because I didn't know how to end it, and my French teacher is always like "IN FRANCE, DON'T BE RUDE. ALWAYS ASK FOR THEIR ANSWER, TOO. THEY HATE RUDE AMERICANS." Actually, in my experience, they hate ALL Americans. When I went to Paris, they were only nice to us if we said we were from Canada.**

**DON'T DISS CANADA, EH??**

**Anywhoo, please review. Honestly. REVIEW. TELL ME THE THING ABOUT MY NEW STORY. I NEED HEEEEEEEEP. (Haha, Esteban from **_**The Suite Life of Zack and Cody**_**. "I need hep!" Then London's all "What's HEP?")**

**ANYWAY. THAT'S NOT IMPORTANT.**

**REVIEW.**

**THE BUTTON'S RIGHT THERE.**

**PRESS IT.**

**NOW.**

**-Meri Umeko-**


	12. Trouble Between Family

**Disclaimer:**

**I do not own **_**Naruto.**_** It was created by and belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

"…are you all right?" Sasuke repeated, ignoring Elva's question. His concern sounded more forced now, as if Elva merely saying something was answer enough. She wasn't _dead_, obviously.

"I'm fine," Elva forced out, relieved she could be honest. The pain was starting to recede, to her great relief. She sat up, pulling her knees to her chest, resting her head on her knees. "…I have a headache, I guess," she admitted after a moment.

She heard him scoff from beside her, and when she had finally looked over to him, he was gone, now pacing back and forth in the little clearing that had been their meeting place. Elva felt panic rush through her as she realized what must have happened.

"_It's fine," she said quietly, squeezing his hand lightly. Almost as suddenly as she had done so, though, she thought she saw someone – or something – in the shadows to her right, stepping toward her. _

She was a day late for meeting Sasuke _because she had been with Konohamaru_, and she had forgotten _because of Konohamaru._ And now when Sasuke had fulfilled his threat and come looking for Elva, he had seen _her and Konohamaru_ together, about to… Elva could hardly finish the thought. Sasuke had been following her the whole day, most likely. She looked at him again now, regret flooding into her system.

The transformation between the concerned Sasuke from moments before and the Sasuke now was amazing. Sasuke was clutching the katana hanging at his waist. Each time he began to lift it, he seemed to hesitate, then stopped, then would start taking it off his belt again. Only once did he glance at Elva, and when he did, shivers ran down her spine. His eyes were bright, the Sharingan burning. ""I'm going to kill him," he hissed to himself. "I'm going to find him and _slaughter_ him. That disgusting _bastard_, I can't believe he tried to—"

It made Elva angrier and angrier listening to him, and soon she was on her feet as well, facing him. "You don't know what you're talking about!" Elva suddenly shouted, glaring at Sasuke. Her voice made him stop, jerking him out of his thoughts. "You had no right to drag me out here. Who fucking cares if I forgot to meet you yesterday? It doesn't give you any right to kill him. He didn't do anything wrong!"

Something in Elva's face must have made him calm down and try a different approach. "Elva, you need to be careful. I understand your…position…I was sixteen once, too," he was saying. Elva was shocked he remembered her birthday, but was too upset to say anything. "But you can't just…sleep with the first person you get obsessed with. It's not worth—"

"It's funny," Elva cut in, choking out the words, "how you think you can say all of this to me like you're my _family_ when you know you're not." She knew there were better ways to stop him, but she could hardly think right now, without having to weigh different options.

Sasuke was silent for a long time now. When he spoke again, it was obvious his previous anger had returned, but controlled now. "If I…_ever_…see you with him again," he growled, his eyes blazing at her. "I _will _kill him," he finished, the force of his words leaving little doubt with Elva that he was lying. With that, he spun on his heel, stalking off into the forest, leaving Elva alone in the rain.

For the first time, Elva realized the tears streaming freely down her cheeks. She made no move to wipe them away, still too in shock to do anything. She just stood there, staring at the empty space where Sasuke had just stood. After what seemed like forever, she could just barely sense someone behind her, but couldn't bring herself to face _him_.

"Who was that?" Konohamaru was obviously attempting to hide his anger, but the point was made clear enough. He didn't trust her.

Elva forced her feet to work with her brain, turning her to slowly face him. "Who was that?" she repeated quietly, staring up at him in disbelief. "You think…I was _cheating_ on you, don't you? Who do you think I am, Konohamaru?" she asked, her voice breaking in too many places.

"I don't know," he replied curtly, eyes narrowed at hers. It hurt Elva, more than she could imagine, to see him like that. After a long silence, he added, "Not anymore." At least there was sincerity in that sentence, even if it wasn't for the right reason.

Elva took a deep, shaking breath, trying to calm herself. "How can you say that?" she asked, her voice just above a whisper. "I haven't changed, Konohamaru. I-I'm…" She trailed off, but wasn't sure how to finish the sentence in a logical way.

Konohamaru seemed to be resisting the urge to do or say something when he took a step away from her, shadows falling over his face. "Exactly," he said, his voice now stronger, shaking with anger, "So how am _I_ supposed to know who you are if _you_ don't?" Before Elva could say anything else, he was gone, vanished in the shadows.

She had the urge to call after him, but her tears were coming so quickly now she didn't trust her own voice. A flash of lightning came out of nowhere, and it would have shocked her normally, but not now. She wished he were still close, just far away enough that she couldn't see him. She wanted to say something, she wanted to tell him everything.

There was one thing above all others she wished she could say, but she was too afraid to. _I love you_, she thought miserably. She wanted him to hear it, but she couldn't find her voice. Then, as if on cue, a flash of red shot across her vision, the most painful of all, sending shots of pain and agony all through her body. It took all of her strength just to stay on her feet, even as she cried out in pain.

Not only was this the most amount of pain Elva had ever felt in her life, it was also the longest lasting. For minutes she stood there, her legs shaking, about to give out. She wanted to shout for help, to find someone, to beg them to kill her. Anything was better than this. But just as she thought that, the pain began to recede, and her legs gave out, knees buckling beneath her.

Everything hurt when she hit the ground. Everything was still sore, as if she had just received a relentless beating. She ached all over. Even breathing hurt, her lungs screaming in protest. It was as if she had just experienced every time in the past few days the same thing had happened, she had seen red, and then been engulfed by pain, but times a hundred. She wondered what she had done wrong, wondering why this was happening to her.

Then her breath caught in her throat, heart nearly stopping. _No_, she thought to herself. _Please, no._

_Suddenly, her hands grabbed the back of his neck, pulling him as close as she could. She could feel her lungs deflating, but she didn't care. She needed air, but she wanted Konohamaru more. Just as her lungs started burning, and she was about to pull away, another bright flash of red clouded her vision._

_She broke away immediately, gasping in air, cringing away in pain. Konohamaru loosened his grip on her waist, but still kept her close to him, worried. He didn't say anything, only watching her carefully, trying to figure out what was going on._

_This time, the pain was much worse than the first time. Strangely, she was suddenly filled with a feeling of disgust toward Konohamaru, even though just moments before she could think of nothing but him._

Elva slowly drew in a deep, ragged breath.

"_You didn't pull away from me because, even though I was obviously in pain, you still wanted to kiss me. That's probably not all you wanted to do with me, is it? Is that really all I am to you, Konohamaru?" Another sudden burst of anger again. "Just another girl you can have sex with?"_

_The weirdest sensation suddenly came over Elva. Sure, she was angry at Konohamaru, she felt that…but as the pain left, it almost left with her a certain clarity. She felt almost like she was repeating something someone who was right next to her was saying. _What's wrong with me?_ she wondered to herself, scared._

Elva exhaled, another wave of pain hitting her as her lungs deflated. As she continued trying to breath carefully, she couldn't help but thinking one thing. _I'm really going crazy, aren't I?_

But she was right to think that, in a way. Why else would she be hallucinating, seeing red every time she kissed Konohamaru, wanted to be near him, thought of him? But also, strangely, the same thing had been happening whenever she had thought of her father. _My father_, she repeated to herself, and at that moment a brief burst of pain hit her, red in the corners of her vision.

This time neither the pain nor the red went away, staying with her, waiting. She grimaced, but refused to drop the thought. After several long seconds, she thought it again. _My…dad._ Another wave of pain, stronger this time, the red growing in intensity.

One more test. She could handle it. _I love Konohamaru._ That did it. If possible, more pain than she had felt the last time she had thought that invaded her system. All she could see was red, not letting up once. The tears that had unnoticeably stopped moments before suddenly started again, sobs escaping Elva's mouth. Now only one thought was crossing her mind, over and over. She couldn't stop it. _Kill me, please! _ she shouted over and over, screaming in agony.

And just like that, the pain was gone. She was so suddenly at ease that Elva wondered for a second if she was dead. Finally her vision returned to her, and she blinked repeatedly, looking around. It took her a minute to realize she was still in the forest. But she was thinking something, something she couldn't get out of her mind.

"Why?" she suddenly asked, breaking the silence around her. Her breath came in ragged gasps now, hurting every time she inhaled. "Why don't you want me to be happy?" she half-shouted, as loud as she could. She was looking up at the sky, with as much hatred as she could muster. "Do you really find it so horrible that, for the first time, things are going right in my life? Am I right, _Dad_? Does it really hurt you that much?"

She could only imagine how crazy she sounded, all alone in the forest, yelling at her dead father. Still, she couldn't shake the notion that, somehow, she was right. "I _am _right, aren't I?" she then asked, quietly now. "It's you, isn't it? I'm _not_ crazy." Then her tone grew angry. "But you know what? Sorry, but you're _dead_. I appreciate you trying to protect me, but you could've done it _five years ago_ by not going on that _fucking_ mission."

She couldn't stop herself now. "Did it ever cross your mind that maybe, just maybe, I was only ten years old? That I needed a father? Of course it didn't. You just left and…got yourself killed. And I found out on my _birthday,_no less. That's a great present, don't you think? To suddenly be a year older, and to find out that your father just died? Well, you know what? I don't know if you've realized, but today's my birthday, too. I'm _sixteen_, Dad. I'm not a little girl anymore. I can take care of myself. I _don't need you._"

Thunder crashed above her, stopping her from saying anything else. She was shaking now, but she couldn't tell if it was from how hard she was crying or from how angry she was. She stood there for an eternity, glaring up at the sky, waiting for another wave of pain to hit her. She was expecting it – she almost wanted it, she felt so horrible after saying what she had. It was true, though. At least she thought it was.

"…I hope you're happy," she muttered, mostly to herself this time, and turned away, heading back towards Konoha, wanting to be away from the clearing as fast as she could.

**Author's Note:**

_**Sasori-Chibi **_ Lawl, you KNEW that would happen! Haha I remember now…haha I was planning that when you said it in a review, then I was all "THAT CLINCHES IT!" Um…yeah…Kisame's…clueless as of now.

_**AliKatNyah **_ Yes, Elva and Konohamaru WERE acting VERY naughty…haha. One of my friends for some odd reason thought Elva was NINE when she read this, and was all "OMG, YOU SICK PERSON!" and then I was like "WHAT?!" and she reread it, and then was "Oh…but still!"

_**The Commander **_Sorry, sorry! Didn't mean to disturb y'all TOO much. Well, actually, the point WAS to disturb you, at least a little. Glad it worked. But I sometimes see Konohamaru as young, too, just 'cause of the manga…still! Haha.

**Okay, I'm sorry this chapter is short. There's no good excuse, I know. I'm just not in a good mood. **

**Not like an "I'm depressed" mood. I'm not depressed, don't worry. But like an "I'm terribly blue" mood. It's my own problem, so I decided to take off the whole reason why I'm feeling this way. Sorry for the insanely short Author's Note. You probably thought someone had taken over my computer when you saw how short this chapter was, haha. It's actually not that horribly short, it just looks like it because of the A / N.**

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

**Please review.**

**Love,**

**-Meri Umeko-**


	13. The End of Innocence

**Disclaimer:**

**I do not own **_**Naruto.**_** It was created by and belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

Elva went straight to Konohamaru's house, taking no scenic routes or detours. She practically sleepwalked there, she felt so drained. It was such an automatic response, she didn't know if she would have done the same thing if she were fully conscious. If she had a little common sense. She should have given Konohamaru more time. But she couldn't stand being away from him.

She was soaked by the time she got to his doorstep, the pouring rain relentless. She was freezing, she knew that, but she also knew this was important. She didn't even have to knock on the door. It was opened immediately, as if _he_ had been expecting her. Konohamaru stood there, solemn as ever, his face blank.

It very nearly brought on another set of tears for Elva, the complete indifference on his face. She could hardly find her voice to say anything, let alone have the energy to do anything. "…can I come in?" she finally forced out, averting her gaze to the floor as she heard her voice crack in awkward places, wincing.

Her heart skipped a beat when she heard receding footsteps. She looked up, expecting the door to be slammed in her face any moment. But it wasn't. To her surprise, it was open, inviting her in silently. Konohamaru was already halfway down the hall, toward his room, when Elva realized what was going on. She quickly followed him in.

She couldn't hear anyone else inside the house, so lucky for her, they were alone. If they got into a serious fight, no one would rush down to stop them. She came to the doorway of his room. This door, too, was open, and inside was Konohamaru, sitting on his bed, his hands curled into fists at his sides. He was definitely angry, Elva thought to herself.

"Look," Elva began, finally finding her voice, "please just hear me out. I—"

Konohamaru cut her off, though not by talking. He stood up, calmly walking over to his bookshelf, picking out a random book and going back to his bed, flipping open to a random page. Elva frowned at him. "Konohamaru—" she began again impatiently.

"Hmm," he murmured to himself, turning the page of the book. "Interesting."

Elva's frown deepened, and before she knew what she was doing, she was in front of him, ripping the book from him and throwing it on the floor. "_Listen to me_!" she shouted, surprised by her own tone of voice, let alone Konohamaru's reaction. He didn't seem to care, not at all.

It took a few long seconds and several deep breaths for Elva to calm down, at which point she exhaled sharply and took a few steps away from him. "Look, I don't care if you're listening or not," she began quietly, staring straight at the floor, hands curled into fists at her sides. "But…I do. I absolutely care. I want you to know that. I care that you're ignoring me. It hurts, and…" Elva trailed off, realizing how stupid she sounded.

She sighed, crossing her arms across her chest. "Konohamaru…" Her voice caught on his name, and she paused again, frustrated now. Why couldn't she just spit it out? "It really wasn't what you think it was. Just the thought of you being right freaks me out more than you can imagine." She laughed dryly, imagining herself cheating on Konohamaru with _Sasuke_. Then she stopped, shuddering. She didn't want to imagine that.

"I don't know if you recognized him, but that was Sasuke," she said softly, trying to say it calmly, so it wouldn't shock him as much. She glanced up briefly to try to catch a reaction. The only thing she noticed was that he had tensed up. Perfect. More anger. She sighed again. "Please don't be angry with me," she whispered, still lowering her tone, if it were possible. "He's the only family I have."

Elva thought she heard him scoff, but couldn't be sure. "It may be hard to believe, but he _does_ have a heart, Konohamaru. He's a real person." She flinched when Konohamaru looked up at her, his eyes dark. Then, to her surprise, it made her angry. "You know, Konohamaru," she began, laughing to herself, "it's funny how you're angry about him betraying one of your friends when I've forgiven him for _killing my father_."

She had forgiven, she supposed. Or so she claimed. She wasn't sure yet. "But…he has a heart," she repeated, firmly this time. "He wouldn't have been so angry today if he didn't have one. He wouldn't care whether or not I had sex. He's trying to protect me, Konohamaru. Is that really such a bad thing?"

When his glare didn't let up, Elva sighed. "I'm sorry," she said softly, forcing herself to calm down. "I'm _so_ sorry. I can't even begin to explain just how sorry I am. Please, don't hate me. It's all my fault, I know, and I'll take the blame. Please just don't shut me out."

"What is your problem, Elva?" Konohamaru muttered, still glaring at her. He at least didn't look as angry, but she could tell he was still pissed. She couldn't believe he could still be angry. It made _her_ angry again. Why should she be so calm when he refused to be?

"My problem is that you said you loved me today," she hissed, matching his glare. "You seemed serious enough. Unless you were kidding, you can't just take that back like you seem to be. I don't believe it."

"Why do you _care_ whether or not I love you?" he challenged, eyes narrowing.

"Because _I_ love you!" Elva shouted, surprising herself with the ferocity in her tone. Several things happened at once. Konohamaru was in front of her in an instant, eyes blazing. For the split second it took him to do so, Elva's heart pounded in her chest. For the first time she could remember in years, she was fearful for her life. Then, he did something different.

Konohamaru grabbed the back of her neck – taking no extra care in doing it gently, in fact, it _did_ hurt – and yanked Elva to him, kissing her hungrily. She kissed back, of course. It was almost an automatic response, even though kissing him was one of the last things on her mind right then. As he continued kissing her, his grip on her neck relaxed, and she was able to shift into a more comfortable position against him, regaining the use of her upper back.

She cupped his face in her hands, still not encouraging the kiss by pulling him closer, but continuing it nonetheless. Then she was suddenly aware of one of his hands leaving her neck, sliding down to the bottom of her camisole. Before she knew exactly what was happening, he was lifting it off quickly, roughly, and Elva immediately realized what he was planning.

Her arms instantly came back to her sides, although she didn't go to put back on her cami right away. She pushed him away gently, then when he wouldn't budge, harder. When he finally gave up, she took a step away, folding her arms across her almost bare chest. "Konohamaru, I don't think this is such a good idea," she said in a low tone, any traces of former anger gone.

He sighed, rolling his eyes, running a hand through his hair. Elva noticed for the first time that his shirt was off, as well. _When did that happen? _she wondered to herself, confused. She dismissed it, though, and tried hard not to concentrate on how amazing he looked with his shirt off. How _sexy_. By now, his arm had fallen back to his side. "Come on, Elva, it's—" he began, but Elva cut him off.

"You're angry," she reminded him. "It's…not a good time," she then added slowly, not quite sure what she was saying. _I'm encouraging him, aren't I?_ she thought to herself, cringing inwardly. _I really shouldn't be doing this. What if Sasuke still hasn't left yet? He'd kill Konohamaru._

That thought was enough to reinforce her, but Konohamaru couldn't read her mind. "No, I'm not," he argued, smirking. He tucked stray pieces of hair behind Elva's ears, staring into her eyes. Elva resisted the urge to shudder, the thought of how he was so easily beginning to manipulate her just by that action frightening her. Could he really control her that much?

"I'm forgiving you," he continued, his voice soft, gentle. He paused, then corrected himself. "Not that you needed to be forgiven. You didn't do anything wrong. I understand." If it was possible, Konohamaru was even closer to Elva now, their bodies almost touching. Elva's entire body screamed for her to be farther away from him.

Yet at the same time, she wanted so much to just give in. It couldn't be that bad, could it? So what if Sasuke found out? It's not like he would really kill Konohamaru. He wouldn't dare do that, Elva mused, or she would never speak to him again. Still, it scared her that she had never seen this Konohamaru before. He was so manipulative, he didn't seem to care about anything except sex at this point.

"…I don't think I'm ready," Elva insisted, even though she still couldn't find it in her to move away from him. She didn't care whether or not she was ready, really. She wanted to be with him, and if that was what he wanted, she didn't care. She could feel herself losing the battle, could feel herself getting ready to give in. She was so close to giving up.

Konohamaru raised an eyebrow at her, and smiled softly, half-smirking. Elva would have melted on the spot if it were possible. "Well…" he seemed to be giving in himself. He paused for a moment, then smirked broadly. "Just know that I love you, okay?"

That did it. Elva pulled him to her, kissing him fiercely. She entwined her fingers in his hair, the kiss not enough. _So much for self-control,_ she thought bitterly. Sasuke would never find out. He would never kill Konohamaru. They were safe. Elva could finally have a normal life for once. This may not be completely normal, but it had to be close.

A soft moan escaped from her throat in her frustration. She wanted more than the kiss, but she was afraid. Konohamaru led her to the bed, situating them comfortably. They broke the kiss, and immediately they both set to work. They both yanked off their clothes as fast as they could, leaving them in a pile on the floor.

He met her gaze one more time, smiling softly down at her. Elva smiled back, happy as can be. Why shouldn't she be? She wanted this. So what if it was wrong. There was nothing to stop them now. No Sasuke, and no creepy messages from the grave. _Nothing,_ she repeated to herself wistfully. _I'm finally normal._

Her smile widened. "I love you, Konohamaru," she whispered.

**Author's Note:**

_**Sasori-Chibi **_ Lol, you printed this? Haha, I'm honored. I know, I felt bad that I had to make her yell at Itachi. It was just so…I dunno. It fitted for me, at least. Haha. I LOVED writing Sasuke in the last chapter. It was fun, because he was concerned, then pissed, then trying to calm down and be reasonable, then got all furious and was like "I'LL KEEEEL HIM!" It was high-larious, trust me! Haha…good times…

_**AliKatNyah **_ "Her uncle wants to kill her boyfriend, her boyfriend doesn't understand her, and her dad's dead. Kinda traumatizing." Lawl, that WOULD be kinda traumatizing, wouldn't it? Yeah, haha, it really made me laugh when I read this. And, erm…hope this update was fast enough. I don't enjoy being attacked by evil ninja bunnies…it's not pleasant. Believe me, I should know. Lol, the eeeebil bunny from Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail. THAT THING'S VICIOUS.

**Today at lunch, my friends and I had a very in depth conversation about how much fun it is to burn Sims. Then I remembered my ranting here, and I started laughing to myself. They thought I was going insane. **

**Oh, and my friend who thought Elva was nine two chapters ago still thinks I have a sick mind. Aw, well. It ties into my next story. Or I could just leave it here. WHAT DOES EVERYONE THINK? Have you had enough Elva? Or ONE MORE? I swear, I will stop after one more if you want another. But if you don't, PLEASE say so.**

**I AM ORDERING YOU ALL. EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO READS THIS CHAPTER, PLEASE REVIEW. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, I BEG OF YOU. BE NICE PEOPLE. I'LL GIVE YOU LOLLIPOPS. PLEASE REVIEW!!**

**Okay, that "lollipop" comment kind of freaked me out. It reminded me of one of my friends (same one that thinks I have a sick mind…ha, just wait and see), when one day we were downtown, and she looked down this alley and suddenly said, "I bet there are old, creepy pedophiles with lassoes hiding in every alley, just waiting for a little child to walk by."**

**I was so shocked when she said that, but I also laughed SO hard. It's our own little inside joke now. Along with shouting "KAKASHIKA" randomly. Not meant for yaoi – they're just our favorite characters. Shikamaru's mine, Kakashi's hers. Because we're awesome, that's why. But yaoi's still cool. GAY PRIDE.**

**Okay, so for once, MY NAILS ARE LONG. I'm so, like, beyond happy. I've been painting them like crazy this past week, so completely happy that they're long. And all week long, people have been all "Oh, I love your nail polish" and stuff, and I'm just like "I KNOW, RIGHT??"**

**I mean, when people compliment me, I usually hate them for it, BUT I WAS GENUINELY PROUD OF MYSELF.**

**So anyway, people, REVIEW. REVIEW FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR LIVES, LEST I FIND WHERE YOU LIVE AND THREATEN YOU WITH…what did you say, AliKatNyah? The evil ninja bunnies? THEY'LL COME AFTER YOU.**

**Oh, my GAWD. So for those of you that watch Naruto Abridged, remember that one episode where Jiraiya's teaching Naruto to walk on water, and Naruto's all "Wait…we can walk on water…and so could Jesus. DOES THAT MEAN JESUS WAS A NINJA?!" And Jiraiya's all "Yes, Naruto, Jesus was a ninja," all sarcastically. Then Naruto's like "REALLY?!" and Jiraiya's like "NO." **

**It's funny, even though I probably just butchered it somehow.**

**Anyway.**

**REVIEW. I KEEP LOSING TRACK.**

**BUT REVIEW.**

**PUH-LEASE.**

**I BEG OF YOU.**

**REVIEW. IT'S MY LAST CHAPTER.**

**I NEEEEEEED THIS!!**

**-Meri Umeko-**


	14. Author's Note

**Author's Note:**

**Officially, the sequel's out! THIS WILL BE THE LAST STORY ABOUT ELVA, AND I'M SORRY THAT I DECIDED TO WRITE IT. Yes, it's just that bad.**

**It's called "The End of Innocence." Yes, I stole the idea from "Beginning of the End" and took the last chapter name from it and made it the name of THIS story. That sounded confusing…aw, well. **

**Please read it – if you dare!**

**Fanfiction's being retarded right now and won't let me put the number/URL thing for the next story, so please just go to my "page" thing and find it there. THANK YOU AGAIN!!**

**Thank you SOOOOO much for reading my other two stories before this. I know they sucked, so thanks sooo very much!**

**Spoiler: Did I have Toru sing the "sittin' in a tree" song wrong on PURPOSE?**

**(Everything has a meaning!)**

**-Meri Umeko-**


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